Mazda’s new sports car concept has won ‘Most Beautiful Concept Car of the Year’ at the Festival Automobile International.

First revealed at last year’s Tokyo Motor Show, the rotary-powered sports car concept features ’exquisitely proportioned dimensions and stunning lines’ says Mazda.

The concept award goes to the vehicle that best embodies pure design creativity and emerging trends. Representing a ‘vision’ of the future, the concept continue’s Mazda’s ‘KODO: Soul of Motion’ design philosophy, with smooth-flowing proportions hinting at the performance of the car while paying tribute to Mazda’s heritage of front engine, rear-wheel drive sports cars. The rotary powertrain’s compactness makes characteristics like the low bonnet possible.

Nominated alongside the Bentley Exp10 Speed 6, Peugeot Fractal and Porsche Mission E at this year’s Festival Automobile International, Mazda’s international design chief, Ikuo Maeda accepted the award Tuesday evening together with Kevin Rice, Mazda’s European design director, Julien Montousse, his counterpart at Mazda North America, and Mazda designer Norihito Iwao.

The RX-VISION will be on display at the Festival Automobile International’s concept car exhibition in Paris at the Hotel National des Invalides until 31 January.