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Tuesday, November 13, 2007

2018 Mazda 3 at LA Auto Show


From lump of clay to life-size model

Last September Mazda started their search for the 2018 Mazda3 via a Facebook competition called the Mazda Design Challenge. Anyone could enter by submitting a 150-word description of their vision, a sketch was optional.

Mallory 'Car Girl' McMorrow, Industrial Design major at Notre Dame, won by a landslide and Mazda designer Jacques Flynn helped produce an early design sketch, �Jacques took everything I said and sketched, and put my thoughts and feelings on paper,� said McMorrow. In her own words 'I want a car with the body and soul of a sports car, but a car that knows that sometimes I want to bring my friends, my things, or my dog.'

Best part of the competition will be that Mazda designers will make a life-size model of the 2018 Mazda3 live at the LA International Auto Show!

�Now the hard part comes � to see if we can actually build a full concept car on the show stand in ten days and in full-view of show goers.� said Franz von Holzhausen, director of design at Mazda. The final unveiling will take place at 3 PM Nov 24.

It�s neither a commuter vehicle nor boring sedan. It is also not an undersized sports coupe or awkward, disproportionate hatchback. At the moment, the 2018 MAZDA3 is nothing more than a lump of clay on stage at the Mazda booth at the 2007 Greater Los Angeles Auto Show � and the vision of Mallory McMorrow of South Bend, Ind., the winner of the Mazda Design Challenge. By the time the auto show comes to a close, an exciting, life-size model will be unveiled for all eyes to see � and a talented woman will be one step closer to fulfilling her automotive design career dream.

A landslide victory, McMorrow�s entry was voted number one by Facebook members, as part of the first-ever program between Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) and the social networking site. To enter, contestants submitted a 150-word description of their vision of the 2018 MAZDA3 and an optional sketch drawing.

After weeks of voting � first by Mazda designers, then Facebook members � McMorrow was selected as a finalist, at which time she was paired with Mazda designer Jacques Flynn who helped bring her design to life on paper. �Jacques took everything I said and sketched, and put my thoughts and feelings on paper,� said McMorrow. �I was thrilled when I opened up the images of the final renderings. I�m proud to say that the end design was still definitely my car and I can�t wait to see it come to fruition on the show floor.�

Today McMorrow will begin working one-on-one with Franz von Holzhausen, director of design, MNAO, and his team to bring her concept to life, live from the Mazda booth at the Greater Los Angeles Auto Show. A formal press conference will be held at 12:50 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 15, at the Mazda booth.

�The Mazda Design Challenge brought in a flood of cool, unique design ideas. The winning design concept is a fresh new way to look at the design of a vehicle,� said von Holzhausen. �This competition was a tremendous success, and the entire process was really beneficial to my team and me to understand what design means to our target buyers. Now the hard part comes � to see if we can actually build a full concept car on the show stand in ten days and in full-view of show goers.�

Auto show attendees can watch von Holzhausen and his team in action from 12 noon to 8:00 p.m. daily, as they mold, carve and smooth the would-be 2018 MAZDA3. The final clay sculpture of the concept will be unveiled at 3 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 24.

Mallory McMorrow � �Car Girl� by design

An Industrial Design major at the University of Notre Dame, McMorrow, 21, of Whitehouse, NJ, first heard of the Mazda Design Challenge from her professor, Paul Down. Dubbed �the car girl� by her classmates in the Industrial Design department, McMorrow, who discovered her love for cars at a young age, jumped at the chance to enter.

With a background in graphic and industrial design, most of McMorrow�s design experience to date has focused primarily on product design, including automotive cleaning and car products. �All throughout college, I�ve heard nothing but how hard it will be to get into the auto design world, how I should keep my options open, and even how I should �think about interiors (because) �women work on interiors,� said McMorrow. �Now, thanks to this contest, I have a completely refreshed feeling about pursuing a career in cars.�

Mallory�s 2018 MAZDA3� In her own words

�A decade from now, I want a car that doesn�t believe in falling into a category. A car that makes sure sedan and hatchback are no longer four letter words. A chassis made to handle every s curve that comes its way. Fast. I want a car with the body and soul of a sports car, but a car that knows that sometimes I want to bring my friends, my things, or my dog. I want a car that has a sunroof that�s actually a sunroof, not a sun-one-quarter roof. I want a car that causes heads to turn � even before the first rev of the engine. I want a car that went from concept to showroom without meeting muted for the masses � unapologetically. I want a MAZDA3 that gets me � the everyday sports car, the 5-door that makes me forget I own a 5-door.�

In addition to McMorrow, finalists in the Mazda Design Challenge included Christopher Chung, Silver Spring, Md.; Preston Gilliam, East Bend, N.C.; Andrew Kinomoto, Bothell, Wash.; and Danny Song, San Mateo, Calif.

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