Mazda loves to tease, and when it revealed the Iconic SP Compact Sports Car concept at the 2023 Japan Mobility Show, tongues began wagging at the prospect of a long-awaited successor to the RX-7 becoming reality.
With its RX-7-esque design on a footprint of an MX-5 and the prospect of a rotary engine – albeit as a generator – Mazda fans have begged for the Iconic SP to become reality, something which the brand hasn’t ruled out and has even hinted at happening.
However, speaking to UK magazine Autocar at this year’s Japan Mobility show, Mazda’s chief technology officer Ryuichi Umeshita had a far less upbeat outlook on the future of the Iconic SP, admitting for the first time there are financial constraints holding it back.
“Let me answer personally: that is my dream car. I want to make it real,” Umeshita said.
“Technology-wise, I believe it’s possible. The only outstanding issue is financial.”
After first revealing the Iconic SP in concept form two years ago, Mazda has cut its investment in future electrified models – including the range-extender powertrain in the sports car – by about one-third.
Mazda has been slow to the uptake of EVs and PHEVs, though late investments came at a time when the market started to cool, compounding its struggles.
While it is still investing in rotary engines to make a meaningful comeback in range-extender EVs such as the recently revealed Vision X-Coupe, Mazda isn’t ready to sign its life away to make the Iconic SP.
“We have re-established the rotary engine development team, and we know that our DNA is in sports cars, so I would never say we gave it up,” Umeshita added.
The rotary engine in the Iconic SP is expected to act as a generator for the on-board battery which feeds an electric motor, becoming a range-extender.
Previous reports by Motortrend have claimed the rear electric motor would produce about 270kW, much more than the official but under-rated 206kW turbocharged 13B rotary in the final FD RX-7s.
Mazda’s Vision X-Coupe revealed last week is capable of producing up to 375kW,with a claimed driving range of 160km in electric-only mode, or up to 800km when the rotary engine is helping to charge the battery.
Discussion about this post