HIROSHIMA, Japan—Mazda Motor Corporation announced that the new Mazda CX-4 has been named China Car Design of the Year in the 2017 China Car of the Year awards organized by the Chinese Automotive Media Chief Editors' Club (C-Club) and PRIME Research & Consulting (Shanghai) Ltd. It is the first time a Mazda has won the award.

Launched in China in June, the CX-4 crossover SUV features SKYACTIV Technology and KODO-Soul of Motion design throughout. It offers outstanding environmental and safety performance and Jinba-ittai driving for various scenes, with large wheels, genuine SUV-like clearance and excellent all-road ability courtesy of Mazda's i-ACTIV AWD new-generation all-wheel drive system. A beautiful design imparts a striking presence and intuitive functionality makes the vehicle easy to use in daily driving situations. Sales in China reached 21,860 units at the end of October.

"Thank you very much for this prestigious award," said Iwao Koizumi, Chief Designer of the CX-4. "I'm delighted that people in China appreciate the value of CX-4's design. I sincerely hope the beauty of the CX-4 strikes a chord with Chinese customers, provides them with pride and joy, and helps to strengthen their connection to the Mazda brand."