The Sole Obstacle Preventing Mazda from Developing a New Rotary Sports Car is ‘Business’
Mazda
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Just as 1990s teen fashion reappears at your local Target (Why???), it seems everything old is becoming new again. Honda has reintroduced the Integra, the Prelude is expected next, and a Toyota executive has confirmed that the Celica will make a comeback. Could a rotary-powered Mazda sports car be next?
The beautiful Mazda Iconic SP concept was revealed in 2023. Not only was the sports car visually striking, but it also included an unexpected feature: a two-rotor rotary hybrid powertrain. Mazda executives told Road & Track that the company is operationally prepared to start producing the Iconic SP, but this depends on its business viability.
“If we find a solid business case, we’re ready to move forward,” stated Mazda CTO Ryuichi Umeshita. “Currently, we are developing the technology to comply with U.S. regulations, and our forecasts are promising… However, technically, we are nearly ready.”
“I chose to revive the rotary engine development team and assigned them the task of meeting strict emissions regulations like LEV IV in the U.S. and Euro 7,” said CEO Masahiro Moro.
“We are aware that rotary engines struggle with emissions compliance, which is why we decided to phase them out in 2012,” he noted. “That presents a significant challenge for them, but the advancements over the past year have been quite promising.”
Since retiring the RX-8, Mazda has used a rotary engine solely as a range extender for the MX-30 subcompact electric crossover. The MX-30 itself was removed from the U.S. market in 2023 due to low sales. However, an 830cc rotary engine generating 74 horsepower for extended range is significantly different from a full-fledged rotary designed for high performance.
The twin-rotor Iconic SP is reported to deliver 365 hp to the rear wheels. From the outset, Mazda has been clear about its intent for the production-ready design. “This concept is not just another empty show car,” stated design chief Masashi Nakayama at the time.
“It has been crafted with the genuine intention of becoming a production model in the near future,” Nakayama previously mentioned. His position remains unchanged, as he reiterated to R&T, “I must be cautious with my words, but we ensured that [the Iconic SP] will be viable for production.”
Therefore, the only barrier preventing us from seeing a true successor to the RX-7 and RX-8 is the assurance that enough consumers will purchase one to justify the financial investment.
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The Sole Obstacle Preventing Mazda from Developing a New Rotary Sports Car is ‘Business’
"We're prepared to proceed," states the automaker. It only needs assurance that it will be economically beneficial.