"It's purely a design study, and we have no intention of putting it into production." We've heard that PR line countless times before and undoubtedly will again in the future. Sadly, that's the line I was given last week at Geneva while attending a Mazda RX-Vision concept design walk around with Ikuo Maeda, General Manager of Design Division at Mazda. Although it debuted last October in Tokyo, Mazda brought its stunning rotary-powered concept to Europe to display the next evolutionary step of its Kodo design language.

And trust me, the RX-Vision looks even better in person. In fact, Jeff Guyton, President and CEO of Mazda Europe, told me that, aside from being named the "Most Beautiful Concept Car of the Year" last January in Paris, Jaguar's highly regarded chief designer, Ian Callum, also declared the RX-Vision to be the best concept he'd seen this year. That's coming from the guy who penned the F-Type and F-Pace. One of the RX-Vision's best styling features is, without question, its long, low hood which Maeda-san said was purposely designed to be longer than it needed to be, mechanically speaking. How come? Because the styling called for it and it looked incredible.

With its smooth surfacing, simple lines, and aggressive stance, the RX-Vision is exactly what we'd love to see in all future Mazdas. But the question remains: What about a reborn RX-7? "It's purely a design study, and we have no intention of putting it into production." Dammit.