Mazda Hakaze Concept, circa 2007

Remember this car? It debuted around two years ago at the Geneva Show. The Mazda Hakaze Concept 2-door small crossover featured a unique design that would be at home even in today’s Geneva Show.

Notable attributes that would still be quite unique after two years from its unveiling include:

- handleless doors

- cameras instead of mirrors

- scissor doors

- wraparound center console

Just goes to show you how far designs can come along in just a short period of time.

The Ford Iosis Max Concept

This, ladies and gentlement, is the new Ford Iosis Max Concept, said to be a preview of future design cues for certain Blue Oval models. The front should reflect the designs for the next Focus line, while the back end underlies design architecture for the next C-Max.

The design looks superb, and the doorwork is unique. The front fascia is characteristically Focus-y.

More on the Iosis Max Concept in the next post.

Mazda CX-7 Update

The updated version of the Mazda CX-7 mid-sized crossover vehicle was showcased at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show, which kicked off a couple of days ago. The new CX-7 sports substantial exterior revisions as well as interior upgrades.

Among the new exterior design elements are larger air intakes, chrome surrounds for the front grille, and some minimal changes to the rear.

The interior has a new central console, an LCD monitor, and a premium steering wheel.

More on the new CX-7 as details surface. Stay tuned!

Source: Left Lane

The Dacia Duster Concept CUV

Dacia, the Romanian car manufacturer majority-owned by Renault, will be unveiling its new crossover concept at the Geneva Motor Show in a few days. The Dacia Duster features some different design elements, including rear-hinged doors for the middle row.

Dacia calls the Duster “an adaptable, modular concept car” that can be shifted from utility mode to a leisure mode by sliding the passenger seat under the driver’s seat. The added room can be used for bikes and other cargo.

More from the Dacia press release: This futuristic crossover showcases the brand’s core values – namely simplicity, robustness and authenticity – in a surprising form, yet Dacia’s hallmark ingenuity and generosity are immediately apparent in the way designers have approached Duster’s cabin.

The Duster’s rear-hinged doors look to be a love-it-or-hate-it design element, but it does have some potential. We will get into this nifty-looking CUV concept as it is unwrapped at the Geneva Show.

Source: Dacia Site

The HED-6 Concept

We’ve already tackled the upcoming Hyundai HED-6 Crossover concept, which will be officially unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show. Now, Hyundai has released official details and photos of this self-proclaimed “urban nomad”, said to be the jump-off point for a future model of the Hyundai Tucson.

For so long, all we had to work with was a teaser image with the rough side-view of the vehicle. It’s great to finally see a full official photo. We love the aggressive look, and the novel and sleek windshield design looks like a great update. The new Tucson will be released to the US market later in 2009.

Source: Motor Authority