Mazda Hakaze Design Concept to be Launched at Second Life

Press Release

Mazda's latest concept car Mazda Hakaze will soon be driving through cyberspace on Nagare Island at Second LifeTM and Mazda Motor Europe wants you to join in the fun. Mazda Hakaze expresses an exciting new design language called Nagare (pronounced na-ga-reh), created by Mazda's new global design director, Laurens van den Acker. It was designed at Mazda's European Design Centre near Frankfurt, Germany, and is the third concept to be shown this auto show season - following Mazda Nagare (shown at the LA Auto Show this past November) and Mazda Ryuga (shown at the Detroit Motor Show just one month ago). "Nagare is about expressing motion, energy and beauty, in ways that people connect with, and Second Lifeâ„¢ is one of the Internet's best interactive venues," said van den Acker. "Of course we love the idea of giving people the chance to connect with and drive our latest concept - virtually, rather than in reality, of course." In 2003, the US company LindenLab created Second LifeTM, a virtual 3-D continent that now has about 3 million inhabitants from around the globe. It is one of the fastest-growing "countries" in cyberspace and boasts an average of 15,000 users at any given moment. You can find more details at www.secondlife.com. "Mazda Hakaze and Second Lifeâ„¢ are a perfect match," says Peter Birtwhistle, Chief Designer at Mazda Motor Europe. "Hakaze is a cool, compact crossover with roadster feel, and Nagare Island will be a great place for people to do a virtual drive and just chill out with others. And there are several exciting surprises in store as well."