We’ve been waiting ages for a new rotary-powered successor to the RX-7, and after decades of speculation and numerous false dawns, we might, might just be at the precipice of it actually happening. According to Motor Trend, the brand new Wankel engine that will form the nucleus of the reborn sports car is “almost technically complete” and Hiroshima just needs to build a business case for it.
Chief technical officer Ryuichi Umeshita said the car, if green lit, will use a cleaner and more powerful version of the 8C engine found in the range-extended MX-30, worked on by a dedicated development group staffed by former RX-7 and RX-8 engineers. Unlike the mill in the oddball suicide-doored crossover, the new power plant will be compliant with US emissions regulations.
Meanwhile, chief financial officer Jeff Guyton added that Mazda has now understood the new engine’s geometry and how it works, and that it will be capable of combusting hydrogen and other fuels in a package that’s lightweight, compact and powerful.
version of the MX-30’s range extender
The new car will take the form of the stunning blood-red Iconic SP concept seen at the Japan Mobility Show in Tokyo back in 2023, and Mazda’s design boss Masashi Nakayama has already previously confirmed to Carscoops that the company has “real intent to turn it into a production model in the not-so-distant future.” Umeshita told Motor Trend: “You can expect Iconic SP will be a good successor for RX-7.”
Envisaged as part of the concept is a range-extended EV powertrain similar to that of the MX-30, albeit with power boosted to 370 PS; this is still on the cards for this new sports car. This means an electric motor will continue to do the heavy lifting of powering the car and the rotary engine functioning solely as a generator.
An electric car juiced by noisy Doritos is not most people’s idea of a fun and engaging sports car, but the report goes on to state that “the sports car, conceptually, would be offered with a second powertrain option: with the rotary engine as the primary source of propulsion.” This hints of a more conventional hybrid system with an actual transmission, more suited to the task of spirited driving. And a full EV is empathically not being planned, despite it being doable with such an underlying architecture.
Umeshita would not be drawn into whether the new car would be called the RX-7 or RX-9, only saying that it will not be a successor to an existing model and could either reuse an old nameplate or have an entirely new moniker. But “there is very little possibility that we will name it Cosmo,” he added.
It’s also unclear when the new car will surface, but while Umeshita reiterated that the next-generation engine will be ready soon, it won’t be within this calendar year. It was initially rumoured that the car would surface next year, but Motor Trend said the exact launch timing would be reliant on Mazda actually building a viable business case.
What we do know is that Mazda will produce its first dedicated EV starting in 2027; its current offerings are either based on an existing combustion-engined platforms (MX-30) or products from Chinese partner Changan (6e and EZ-60). It will utilise a brand-new architecture that can accommodate plug-in hybrid, REEV and battery electric powertrains, and it is likely that this is what the new sports car will also be based on.
The RX-7’s successor will be joined by the next-generation MX-5, which will utilise Mazda’s cleaner Skyactiv-Z engines. Unlike its larger sibling, it won’t feature any electrification and will continue to offer a manual gearbox as an option, keeping the formula very much the same as its forebears. Surprisingly, it’s the roadster that is expected to come later.
GALLERY: Mazda Iconic SP at Japan Mobility Show 2023
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