Mazda brought back the rotary engine last year for the MX-30 crossover, where it acts as a range extender. In 2023, we also saw the Iconic SP concept, which used a rotary engine as a generator to charge the battery. Today, Mazda is demonstrating its long-term commitment to this technology by establishing a dedicated team.
The new "RE Development Group" comprises 36 engineers who will work on rotary engines. The last time Mazda had a separate team dedicated to these high-revving engines was in 2018, when the group was disbanded. Some will remember that the last rotary sports car rolled off the production line in 2012, when production of the JDM-exclusive RX-8 Spirit R ended. For now, the Japanese marque isn't promising a new rotary performance vehicle, saying only that it aims to deliver "attractive cars that excite customers with our challenger spirit".
However, there is hope that something along the lines of the Iconic SP coupe will see the light of day. Speaking at the 2024 Tokyo Auto Salon last month, Mazda president and CEO Katsuhiro Moro hinted at a spiritual successor to the RX-7 / RX-8:
"I am very happy and deeply moved by all the support and encouragement I have received for the compact sports car concept. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all. With your encouragement, we are launching a rotary engine development group on February 1 to move closer to this dream."
Mazda Iconic SP concept
Even if the project gets the green light, the press release issued today makes it very clear that the rotary engine will be used as a generator. In other words, it won't be driving the wheels as in previous RX models. Mazda says the Iconic SP uses a two-rotor engine that powers a battery. The internal combustion engine can run on petrol as well as hydrogen and renewable fuels. The sports car's unspecified battery pack can also be charged from a household socket.
The Iconic SP is touted as having 365 horsepower in a sports car that weighs 1,450 kilograms, split evenly between the axles. The concept was 4.18 metres long, 1.85 metres wide and 1.14 metres high. However, Mazda has already said that the Tokyo show car was deliberately made bigger than it needed to be. In fact, chief designer Masashi Nakayama said they could shrink it down to the size of an MX-5 Miata.
A road-going version of the Iconic SP would be Mazda's 13th rotary-powered car. With the dedicated team only just announced, a potential production version of the sleek coupe is at least a couple of years away, assuming it's actually going to happen.
Source: Mazda
