On the other hand, you get the sense from talking to people like Montousse, vehicle
development engineer Dave Coleman, and Matt Valbuena, an HMI and Infotainment
engineer, is that because Mazda is a small organization (comparatively speaking), there
is a nimbleness and a bias for execution that is uncharacteristic of many companies
(inside auto or out), and extraordinary efforts to do things that ideally exceed what the
bigger companies are doing with but a fraction of the physical resources. But they have
creativity, imagination, capability and common sense in spades.
Consider, for example, the development of the Skyactiv-G 2.5T engine, which was
specifically designed for the CX-9. Listen to Coleman: "We decided to focus on the real
"We decided to ignore competitive specs and go for
what the car is going to do in the real world. Real world
fuel economy rather than EPA label."
The new Mercedes E-Class, the 10th generation
of the model. It is the latest iteration of the
"Sensual Purity" approach to design.
"Everything is perfectly centered around
the steering wheel." Montousse
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COVER STORY