Mazda Nagare concept

Mazda used the Los Angeles auto show this week to unveil a new concept car called Nagare -- (pronounced "na-ga-reh") Japanese for 'flow'
and the embodiment of motion.

Under the direction of Mazd's new General Manager of the Design Division, Laurens van den Acker, the challenge given to the team was to "invent a novel means of registering motion in vehicles whether they're moving or still." Nagare also signals a "fresh design direction" for future Mazda vehicles, according to the company.

Nagare is the first of a series of design concepts - some closer to actual production vehicles than others - which Mazda will showcase this global auto show season, including Los Angeles, Detroit, Geneva and Tokyo. "Mazda doesn't produce concept cars to spin its wheels, and while some are more forward-looking than others, we simply do not create pure flights of fantasy. We develop these ideas to demonstrate what we really intend to build and sell," said Mazda design director Franz von Holzhausen. Gallery after the jump...