Ikuo Maeda to replace Laurens van den Acker as General Manager of Design at Mazda

Ikuo Maeda has been appointed General Manager of Mazda Motor Corporation's Design Division. He replaces Laurens van den Acker, who has decided to leave Mazda to pursue other interests. Following on from the successful tenure of van den Acker, Maeda will lead the Japanese automaker's global design team and be responsible for the overall design and styling of Mazda's global products.

2014 Mazda 3 five-door revealed

Mazda has gained a fair amount of traction with its fuel-efficient Skyactiv technology, which was first fully implemented in production on the CX-5 compact crossover, followed by the 2014 Mazda 6 midsize sedan. However, unlike the CX-5 and 6, the Mazda 3, the company's best-selling vehicle, only enjoyed a mild Skyactiv makeover for the 2012 model year with the 2.0-liter Skyactiv engine and transmissions being made available on the second-generation model. This meant the 3 would have to wait until an all-new generation debuted to enjoy the entire suite of Skyactiv equipment, including the lighter-weight chassis, body and suspension.

Concept Car of the Week: Ghia Streamline X 'Gilda' (1955)

In 1954 Virgil Exner, director of styling at Chrysler, created a scale clay-model to communicate to his team his vision of futuristic and aerodynamic shapes. The sculpture was then painted black and was left on display in Exner's Office. There it caught the eye of Luigi Segre, director of Ghia who expressed his intentions to create a car inspired by the forms of the model.