Mazda It got people talking when it was launched at last year’s Tokyo Motor Show Iconic SP The concept car is very similar to the 1990s RX-7 sports coupe.
Mazda has been tight-lipped about its plans for the concept car since then, however, chief designer Masashi Nakayama has now raised expectations a notch, all but confirming that the Iconic SP will go into production.
“This concept is not just one of those empty show cars,” Mr. Nakayama said.
“It is designed with the intention of converting it into a production model in the near future.”
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Mazda said at the unveiling that the Iconic SP uses a rotary engine…but not like sports cars like the RX-7 and RX-8.
Instead, when the twin-rotor engine is depleted, it charges the onboard battery to power the electric motors. Rotary engines do not send drive power directly to the wheels.
According to Mazda, the powertrain can produce up to 285kW of power, which is a respectable figure for a vehicle with a target weight of 1450kg.
In June, Mazda previewed a twin-rotor engine range extender concept that it said was “under consideration for use in a sports car.”
Mazda claims that rotary engines are better suited for range extender applications because they can run on a wider range of fuels than piston engines and are generally smaller, allowing more design freedom.
It already offers a rotary range-extended powertrain in the MX-30.
While most evidence points to the Iconic SP being the long-awaited successor to the RX-7 and RX-8 sports cars, the concept’s dimensions are similar to the current Mazda MX-5, which is in the final years of its current generation. Year.
Mazda’s last generation “FD” RX-7
It was reported in October 2023 that Mazda’s Kato Matsue believes electric vehicle (EV) technology is not enough to maintain the MX-5’s low curb weight, suggesting the next-generation model will not be fully electric.
It could still be partially powered by electricity, such as the range-extended system seen in the Iconic SP concept.
Whatever the Iconic SP concept is called or powered when it eventually goes into production, it will be one of a growing number of new sports cars from Japan.
The Japanese sports car renaissance includes upcoming models such as the Honda Prelude (confirmed), the Toyota Celica and/or MR2 (rumored), and the Nissan Silvia (rumored).
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