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Mazda Named KBB “Best Car Styling Brand” and “Best Performance Brand” for 2018 Brand Image Awards

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Mazda lineup

Mazda has been the recipient of a large number of awards for some time for its vehicles’ style and fun-to-drive performance. Now, though, it can clear off two very prominent spots in the trophy case, as Kelley Blue Book has announced that Mazda is the publication’s choice of two 2018 Brand Image Awards, for “Best Performance Brand” and “Best Car Styling Brand.”

Mazda earns honors for its exceptional vehicle designs and performance

2018 Mazda CX-5

2018 Mazda CX-5

If those titles sound at all familiar, that is because Mazda also won the title of “Best Car Styling Brand” last year (and also in 2015), though the “Best Performance Brand” title is a first.

This is certainly gratifying for the Zoom-Zoom brand, since styling and performance are the two main thrusts of Mazda’s design as it has worked to push up-market. As the brand has worked to reshape itself, the faces of Mazda’s lineup have been created using the KODO—Soul of Motion design language, resulting in some seriously good-looking vehicles (and a collection of design awards).

Then, as to performance, Mazda has worked to improve its lineup with its trademark SKYACTIV® Technology, which alters every part of its vehicles to reduce weight, improve efficiency, and offer a better driving experience. Particularly in the MX-5 Miata, Mazda tries to promote the concept of “Jinba Ittai,” which originally meant the symbiotic relationship that develops over time between a horse and its rider, but which Mazda has repurposed to mean that driving should feel connected and intuitive all the time.

Photo gallery of Mazda’s stylish cars and crossovers