Mazda boss wants an RX-7 successor
A spiritual successor to the Mazda RX-7 is something almost everyone seems to want, including the man running the company.
Rumours of Mazda finally bringing a true sports car in the vein of the RX-7 have been circulating since 2023, when the brand teased the Iconic SP Compact Sports Car concept at the Japan Mobility Show.
With a striking resemblance to the FD-generation RX-7, it has long been anticipated that Mazda will – sooner rather than later – lean on potentially its most recognisable performance model to inspire its next halo model.
Speaking to Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport, Mazda CEO Masahiro Moro all but confirmed the carmaker has a sports car to sit above the popular MX-5 in mind, though it doesn’t yet know what shape it’ll take.
“I want a 'hero car' for Mazda , a true flagship model that perfectly embodies our brand values,” Moro said.
“While we have the MX-5 for affordable sportiness and intend to continue producing it, we're still missing a top model at the upper end of the range. This won't be a high-volume seller, but rather a pure image-builder, possibly handcrafted.”
It’s not the first time Mazda’s executives have teased a new flagship sports car is on the horizon, with Mazda’s Chief Technical Officer, Ryuichi Umeshita, telling Motortrend last year: “You can expect Iconic SP will be a good successor for RX-7”.
The yet-to-be-named sports coupe is expected to complement the MX-5, rather than take away from the long-standing but smaller model. One big difference between the two will be the production Iconic SP’s engine, which will be a rotary.
At least it will in part, as it’s expected to act as a generator for the on-board battery which feeds an electric motor, becoming a range-extender. According to the Motortrend report, the electric motor will produce about 270kW, while the engine itself will be compliant with strict emissions regulations.
For context, the most powerful RX-7s made 206kW from the factory, although this was when Japanese manufacturers had a gentleman’s agreement to not publish higher power figures. The true number was expected to be much higher.
Previous rumours suggested 2027 would be its launch date, at which time it’ll be 25 years since the last RX-7s rolled off the production line, and 15 years since the end of production for the RX-8, the quirky four-door semi-successor.
