Challenger Spirit from Hiroshima Delivers Cross-Industry Co-Creation
Carrying on the challenger spirit nurtured in Hiroshima, MAZDA puts the values cherished by customers at its core, pouring its passion for carmaking into every stage of R&D and manufacturing. Through close collaboration with cross-industry partners in Japan, MAZDA has integrated expertise from different fields from the early product-planning stage, so that material applications, component design and production methods complement each other, laying the foundation for driving pleasure, safety protection and build quality. This achievement is embodied in the third-generation ALL-NEW MAZDA CX-5, developed with Japan's largest steelmaker Nippon Steel and global automotive wiring harness leader Yazaki Corporation, translating expertise from body structure and advanced steel to precision harness design, automated manufacturing and local production in Japan into performance and quality value, while extending environmental care to the production and supply process.
Advanced Steel Forges a Lightweight Yet Safe Body
An outstanding driving experience comes from delicate, precise vehicle-driver interaction, achieving agile handling and settled ride comfort through a balance of body rigidity, light weight and safety performance. MAZDA has revamped its traditional body development model, working with Nippon Steel, its partner of over 40 years, to integrate body design and advanced steel technology from the planning stage, embodying the value of deep collaboration between craftsmanship and materials. The concrete result is that the ALL-NEW MAZDA CX-5's body steel weight is reduced by 10% versus the previous generation, while maintaining body rigidity and collision safety performance. Through structural integration, parts previously made separately were consolidated into one piece, reducing weight while maintaining rigidity and strength, laying the foundation for nimble handling. The front bumper beam further adopts Nippon Steel's 2,000 MPa high-bendability hot-stamped steel sheet, introduced in mass production for the first time globally, combining ultra-high strength with excellent bending performance to help absorb collision impact energy and reduce the need for additional reinforcement structures.
Wiring Harness Innovation Advances Automation and Local Production
As in-vehicle technologies become increasingly diverse, wiring harnesses responsible for power supply and signal transmission have become key to ensuring stable function. MAZDA has taken a holistic view to integrate Yazaki Corporation's expertise, jointly studying harness design and manufacturing methods from the early planning stage. Since early 2022, both parties have aimed to promote near-plant harness production and automated manufacturing, addressing the complex structure of conventional harnesses and their highly manual assembly by starting with specification and structural design, closely linking component development with vehicle production. In the development of the ALL-NEW MAZDA CX-5, they successfully streamlined harness variants by about 80% versus the previous generation, reducing production complexity and making precision assembly more suitable for automation, helping improve process consistency and laying the foundation for stable manufacturing quality.
Shortened Supply Chain Delivers Environmental Sustainability Commitment
Beyond materials and design, MAZDA and its partners also jointly planned the supply chain from the early development stage. Steel is sourced from Nippon Steel production sites near MAZDA's vehicle assembly plants, while harnesses are assembled by a Yazaki Corporation affiliate in Yamaguchi Prefecture, supplying MAZDA's vehicle assembly plants in Yamaguchi and Hiroshima nearby. By shortening transport distances, logistics-related CO2 emissions are reduced, flexibility to respond to production demand changes is improved, and environmental burden is lessened. From component design and automated manufacturing to supply chain layout, MAZDA has embedded its dedication to quality and emphasis on sustainability into the R&D, manufacturing and supply process, demonstrating a long-term commitment to customers and the environment.