AutoElectric VehiclesThe coolest Mazda in a generation is headed for productionThis is what the next-generation MX-5 could look likeWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
AutoElectric VehiclesThe coolest Mazda in a generation is headed for productionThis is what the next-generation MX-5 could look likeWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
This is what the next-generation MX-5 could look like
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Mazda)
(Image credit: Mazda)
A year ago, Mazda wowed us all with a stunning sports car concept called the Iconic SP – and now it says it’ll become a production car in the not-so-distant future.
That’s according to Mazda’s own Masashi Nakayama, who is the general manager of the Japanese car company’s design studio, and Naohito Saga, Mazda’s executive officer of R&D strategy planning. Nakayam said: “This concept is not just one of those empty show cars. It’s been designed with real intent to turn it into a production model in the not-so-distant future.”
Revealed at the Tokyo motor show in 2023, the Iconic SP is a look at what a future Mazda sports car could look like. Although compact like an MX-5, it could also become a spiritual successor to the RX-7 sports car of the 1990s. It featured a muscular body, a two-seat cabin and Instagram-friendly doors that open vertically.
(Image credit: Mazda)
(Image credit: Mazda)
Explaining how serious Mazda is about making the car a reality, Saga added: “In the development process, everything from position of the doors and tyres, to the length of the vehicle, the seating position of the occupants and visibility was meticulously researched before reaching the final specifications.
“It really shows how we wanted to make it a car that manifests Mazda’s commitment for the future, especially in terms of sustainability and the future role of our rotary engine technology.”
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Mazda uses a rotary engine as a range-extender for itsMX-30 R-EV, and previously used such a motor on the RX-8 sports car. Also known as a Wankel engines, after creator Felix Wankel, a rotary engine uses a triangular rotor inside an oval-shaped engine housing, instead of traditional pistons.
(Image credit: Mazda)
(Image credit: Mazda)
The Iconic SP concept car was intended to use a two-rotary EV system, which Mazda describes as “highly scalable, running on fuels and generating electricity from carbon-neutral sources.” The company added: “Its compact size, too, allows the Mazda Iconic SP to be housed in a low-profile package akin to a midship sports car, promising an exhilarating driving experience.”
Saga explained how the car could run on a variety of fuels, including sustainable petroleum – where the petrol is created with carbon that is extracted from the atmosphere, rather than from fossil fuels – and even hydrogen, which can be combusted in a similar way to petrol. Saga said how, no matter which carbon-neutral fuel becomes mainstream, the rotary engine can adapt to work.
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