Students Build an Off-Road Mazda CX-5 for the Tokyo Auto Salon
Some creative Japanese college students at the Nihon Automobile College have cooked up a rugged take on the refined Mazda CX-5. Their creation, dubbed the CX-Runner, debuted at the Tokyo Auto Salon on January 10.
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Showing off at the Tokyo Auto Salon
The Tokyo Auto Salon is sort of like a Japanese version of SEMA, so it’s the perfect place to show off the heavily customized Mazda. However, we haven’t been able to find any shots of the fully revealed vehicle. Here’s a look at the work in progress.
These skilled students started with a 2012 Mazda CX-5. Over the course of the project, they transformed it into an off-road monster. They created a custom body kit for the vehicle, painted it, fitted it with an appropriate suspension system and equipped it with a roll cage. It will also receive shortened bumpers, longer fenders, and modified wheel arches. And unlike a typical Mazda CX-5, the CX-Runner will be a two-seat vehicle. The students may even equip it with a different powertrain.
The CX-Runner wasn’t just created for fun, however. It’s a student project for a car customization class at the Nihon Automobile College, which requires participants to build a tuner car in order to graduate. Fingers crossed for this crew to get high marks on their assignment!
At the Top of Its Class: The 2020 Mazda CX-5
About the 2020 Mazda CX-5
Unlike its customized counterpart, the 2020 Mazda CX-5 can comfortably seat five people. For the 2020 model year, this sporty crossover comes with additional standard safety tech, including Mazda Radar Cruise Control, Forward Obstruction Warning, High Beam Control, and Adaptive Front Lighting. Plus, it comes standard with LED headlights and the Mazda Connect infotainment system with voice controls.
You can upgrade the CX-5 to include Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, heated and ventilated front seats, and a refined Caturra Brown Nappa leather interior. In addition to its upscale amenities, the Mazda CX-5 offers 30.9 cubic feet of room behind the second seat, and a maximum of 59.6 cubic feet of cargo space.
Kimiko Kidd is a native Daytonian. She graduated from Wright State University with degrees in environmental science and sociology. She loves her trusty old Honda Civic, but dreams of owning a 1974 Ford Falcon XB with a custom paint job and a vintage Kawasaki Z1000. In her free time, Kimiko can be found watercolor-painting, baking muffins, collecting rocks, playing old-school Nintendo games, writing her novel, sewing stuffed animals, and cosplaying as her favorite Mad Max characters. See more articles by Kimiko.