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The CEO of Mazda Hiroshima Masahiro Moro, on the occasion of the Tokyo Auto Salon held in the Japanese capital, took everyone by surprise by announcing that the team of engineers dedicated to the development of a new generation of rotary engines will be made official on February 1st. Mazda’s number one also added that the high-performance coupe anticipated by a series of concepts, including the one exhibited at the Japan Mobility Show, will be made.
The first model will derive from the Iconic SP concept
The Mazda president said he was happy with all the support and encouragement received for the compact sports concept car exhibited at the Tokyo motor show, adding that to overcome the challenges of the carbon neutral era, rotary engine engineers having acquired more that broad technical perspective that transcends engine types and cutting-edge internal combustion engine technology, will come together to work on the development of the new upcoming models.
The rotary engine made in Mazda will be mass produced
If the Japanese manufacturer is so enthusiastic at the mere hypothesis that a sports car will be produced with a Wankel engine under the hood, it is because Masahiro Moro’s announcement concerned the latest concept car exhibited at the Tokyo Motor Show last November, the Iconic SP. The CEO then focused on how the rotary engine made in Mazda, once it is mass produced, will behave like a generator rather than a real engine.
The first measurements and the weight of the sports car have been revealed
Not to mention that during the CEO’s speech, specifications such as dimensions appeared on the screen: 4.18 meters in length, 1.85 meters in width and 1.15 meters in height and a wheelbase of 2.59 meters, the all for 1,450 kg of weight. Mazda’s CEO then defined the new sports car as a compact twin-rotor with top-notch performance. He added that the future coupe will be large enough to accommodate not only two people on board, but their luggage.
Two models with the Mazda Spirit Racing brand
Two models debuted at the Japanese event as concepts bearing the Mazda Spirit Racing brand. The two cars will go into production. The first is based on the MX-5, the second on the Mazda 3. Although details have not been announced, the sports cars are in development. The aim is to produce cars for use on the track, with a revised set-up and aerodynamic solutions learned from the Super Taikyu Series, the Japanese GT championship.