Although their commercial success has been somewhat questionable, the RX-7 and RX-8 are undoubtedly, along with the MX-5, Mazda’s best known. What characterizes our two aforementioned models, obviously it’s a rotary engine, a genuine trademark of a Japanese manufacturer. Disappeared from the catalogs in 2012, recently returned in the small SUV MX-30.

But today at the Tokyo Motor Show, it’s back under the sports car hood with the Iconic SP concept car, a model that may herald the return of a true sports car for the Japanese marque if we don’t. consider the MX-5 as such.

A bit of a disappointment though?

Let’s start right away with the protagonist of this prototype: as on the MX-30, the rotary engine does not drive the wheels directly. In fact, the engine is used to recharge the battery, which transfers energy to the electric motor. That’s why, like the MX-30, this configuration is also called “R-EV”. The “small” difference is that this concept car still does 365 hp when the MX-30 claims 145 horses.

Mazda in particular clarifies that this power unit can run on different types of fuel, including hydrogen and biofuel. Performance and other details, such as electric motor power and range, are not specified.

At the same time, Mazda emphasizes that this technology can also be applied in other areas, and in particular, to serve as a generator, for example, to power the house. Without going into details, Mazda is reluctant to announce a major breakthrough in the world of electric cars with the introduction of V2G and V2L systems.

A future sports Mazda? Not sure…

The concept is 4.18 meters long, 2.10 meters wide (including mirrors) and 1.15 meters high. It sits between the MX-5 and RX-7 in terms of size, while the 1450kg weight, which might seem like a lot for a battery-electric car, is affected by the mechanical complexity of the drivetrain. .

The prototype has flowing lines that seem to combine those of the MX-5 and RX-7 in a futuristic format, but not too far from what the production model might have. Inside, Mazda has focused on minimalism without distorting the codes of our current cars too much and without too many screens.

Will this concept make it to production? Not sure, Mazda doesn’t necessarily stick with all of its concepts, as evidenced by the RX-Vision, which was introduced at the Paris Motor Show in 2016 and never had a direct sequel.

Read also:
• Mazda CX-5 II: what are the most common problems?
• Mazda MX-30 e-Skyactiv R-EV: combining the past with the present
• Mazda 2: the city car received a (light) restyling