Chinese car sales have barely got out of first gear this year, yet a shift in consumer behavior has sent Mazda Motor Corp hurtling out of the pack, posting records and struggling to keep pace only with demand. Japan's fifth-biggest automaker has found its sporty design philosophy clicked with an emerging class of drivers who have abandoned copycat buying and the widely held perception that only long-established leaders, notably Volkswagen AG "Other cars are either too round or stocky, but the CX-5 has more of a flowing character," said Nanjing office worker Xu Duo, 27, who bought Mazda's sport utility vehicle last year.