Paris concept: Mazda Kiyora city car

Mazda unveiled its vision of future urban transportation at the Paris motor show with its Kiyora concept. The name means 'clean and pure' in Japanese, Mazda claiming the Kiyora represents its vision of a city car cutting through the urban landscape like flowing water.

What's all the fuss about?

The images for the Kiyora really don't do this cool concept justice. The water inspired theme is obvious in its flowing shape and the transparent body sections that give a view inside. In addition to that the Kiyora features an on-board water purification system which can trap rainwater and make it fit to drink. It's not just water that the Kiyora would utilise from its surroundings either, as when the sun is out Mazda's city car concept uses a roof-mounted solar panel to power the cabin.

Any new technology?

Water purification systems might be the stuff of designers' fantasy, but much of the technology showcased on the Kiyora is production ready. The Kiyora is yet another demonstration of Mazda's commitment to lowering emissions through reducing vehicle weight. In addition to this the Kiyora features an efficient 1.3-litre direct injection engine and new automatic transmission, which combined with Mazda's Smart Idle Stop System (stop-start) allows the Kiyora to offer excellent fuel efficiency and low emissions.

Will it ever see the light of day?

Based on a production platform, the Kiyora might represent some of Mazda's more outlandish future gazing, but the powertrain developments are not far off production-ready. Expect some of Mazda's current cars to be offering the Smart Idle Stop System soon. It's unlikely we'll be seeing water purification systems on cars just yet though, fun as it sounds...

Kyle Fortune