It’s hard to believe it’s already been two years since Mazda took the covers off the Iconic SP. Given the company’s track record of not delivering on promising cars, we’ve been cautiously optimistic ever since. After all, we’ve been burned before: remember the 2015 RX-Vision? This rear-drive rotary-engined coupé never materialized, and its spiritual successor may suffer the same fate.
Despite sending strong signals about the launch of a new rotary sports car, Mazda is no longer certain about the RX’s return. In an interview with AutocarChief Technology Officer Ryuichi Umeshita admitted that there were obstacles to financing the Iconic SP project, saying that “the only outstanding issue is financial.”
We still cling to hope. Since the concept was unveiled at the Japanese Mobility Expo in October 2023, Mazda has made a comeback A specialized engineering team for rotary engines. We have already seen a taste of their work in Vision X Coupewhose twin-rotor motor is part of a plug-in hybrid setup that produces more than 500 horsepower.
Umeshita admits that the Iconic SP is his “dream car,” adding that he wants to “make it a reality” one day. Although the project has not been cancelled, financial hurdles cited by Mazda’s CTO suggest that a production version is still a long way off. Even with approval, bringing such a car to market will take time, especially since it will have no direct predecessor to build on.
Photo by: Mazda
This will be an entirely new model built on a custom platform, and will presumably have no relation to the smaller Miata. Mazda has already said that any revival of the RX will be sold alongside the MX-5 and will serve as a “A good successor to the RX-7” According to Umeshita. Although the concept’s rotary engine acts only as a generator to charge the battery, the CTO did not rule out the possibility of the combustion engine directly driving the wheels.
As much as we’d love to see a new RX, we have to remember that Mazda is a relatively small company. It’s not an auto giant like Toyota, able to strike a balance between full-size models and niche sports cars.
Mazda’s Lean Asset Strategy, announced earlier this year, calls for radical cost-cutting measures in electric vehicle investments. A dedicated electric vehicle platform is still planned for 2027, when the first model will be launched for the first time. The special hybrid setup will debut at the end of the same year in the next-generation CX-5, while the new model SkyActiv-Z The combustion engine is also in the works.
We can infer that Mazda has bigger priorities at the moment, but Umeshita remains optimistic: “I would never say we have given up on them.” Whatever the case, at least we can take comfort in knowing that a new Miata is on the way Bigger enginemanual gearbox, and perhaps lighter.
