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22 wheels stouffrille suntribune thursday nov 6 2003 the mazda ibuki- the name comes from a japanese word that refers to tireathing new energy into and adding vigor i markham mitsubishi ppslillliplllli mmbm 37th tokyo motor show was bigger and better than ever by rob beintema c tokyo japan the end of october signaled the first days of press previews here at the 2003 tokyo motor show the 37th tokyo motor show passenger cars and motorcycles at the makuhari messe convention center in chiba city features 263 companies from 14 countries and trade exhibits by sever al national government exhibits including canada f- this years show was bigger and betterthan ever with over 40 automotive world premieres slated for the two press days and a host of regional motorcycle and parts industry debuts as well although all the worlds automotive players gathered here most of the concepts new technologies and automotive sur prises pulled out from under wraps were unveiled by japanese auto manufacturers who saved their brightest and best ideas for this important global stage on home turf one of mdse companies mazda motor corporation zoomzoomed into the 2003 tokyo motor show with the strongest line of production and concept cars in company his- tory v mazda recently completed the final stage of an 18month regeneration program when they launched their latest model the new 2004 mazda3 this compact sedan and hatchback replacement for protegfe joins a jmeup tiiat mcludes the still unique m miata the mpvminivan the revolutionary rxt 8 4seater sports car the new midsize mazda6 and the new subcompact mazda2 designed for europe and asia all of these recent additions have received awards and crit ical acclaim from media and more importantly they have received me kmd of global customer approval that has driven mazdas sales to new heights but completing the final chapter on their corporate rejuve nation plan does not mean that mazda has run out of ideas some of the concepts rumoured to be debuting today include ibuki concept with all the changes to the rest of the lineup we can count on a future evolution of miata and the twoseat ibuki concept an opentop lightweight sports car hints at a possible design direction for mazdas roadster the mazda ibuki concept the name comes from a japanese word that refers to breathing new energy intoand adding vigor reaches back to the miatas 1989 origins and hints towards one possible approach for an upcoming roadstermx5 model the ibuki features a clean and simple design accented on i the concept by a frameless windscreen and indicators inte grated into the apillars powered by the mzr 16liter four- cylinder engine the ibuki concept is built on a super front- midship platform as also found in the mazda rx8 that places all major components within the wheelbase area compared with the current mx5 miata the engine is posi- tiohed approximately 400mm further to the rear while therair conditioner unit is located behind the seats moving the weight back reduces yaw inertia moment enhancing pure furi drivability the oneness between car and driver that has been central to the roadsters ongoing success roadsterturbo coupe other miata derivatives at the showinclude the roadster turbo a more powerful limitededition on mazdas best- selling sports car the turbocharged 18liter dohc engine delivers additional power and torque particularly at speeds from 40 to 80 km the roadster turbos suspension has been upgraded with largerdiameter antiroll bars larger tires stiffer dampers and springs rates and the turbos body has been lowered by 10 mm v v and a hardtop version of miata the roadster coupe is already available in various b6dystyles in japan cburtesyof mazda engineering and technology a subsidiary that special- izesin the development of special edition models unfortunately the very limited coupe will not make it to north america but canadian customers will see some turbo- charged mazdaspeed miatas by early 2004 kusabi concept mazdas kusabi concept was first shown at the 2003 frankfurt auto show and is based on the concept of a new everyday spprts subcompact offering unique values from its conventional counterparts a twinlift hatchback design features dual hatches with two opening modes a longitudinal hinge in the center of the roof allows individual opening of the hatches from either side of the car or they can be opened together from the rear in the conventional hatchback man ner the design is aggressively funky for the segment with a shape that is low and wide with short front and rear over hangs the flat roof and overall wedgeshape was the inspira tion for the name kusabi which means wedge in japanese see the motor show page 20 jfe- j