The 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show featured a Design Challenge that asked several car manufacturer's design teams to present a concept of how motorsport may look in 2025 with the design brief including a requirement for zero emissions. Designs were produced by major manufacturers Audi, BMW, General Motors, Honda, Toyota, Volkswagen, Mitsubishi and Mercedes-Benz, but it was Mazda's "Kaan" concept that took home the prize.
Looking like a cross between vehicles seen in the movie Tron and the Wipeout videogame series, Kaan makes use of special electric tyres and races in the fictional E1 series. These electric tyres pick up power from a special conductive polymer under the road surface that would be charged by solar panels meaning the car has no traditional engine as such and therefore no emissions. The designers estimated a top speed of 250mph
Many of the Mazda North American Operation design team of Jaques Flynn, Carlos Salaff, Minyong Lee, Greg Lee, Tim Brown and Jordan Meadows, would go on to create the 2010 MX-0 design concept.
