Mazda stunned with the Iconic SP concept at last year’s Japan Mobility Show. Not merely a preview for the next Miata, the Iconic SP shows a new direction forward for Mazda sports cars, while paying homage to the era-defining FD RX-7. In a recent Mazda-published story, the car’s designer, Masashi Nakayama, reveals that the company actually wants to turn this concept into a production-car reality.
“This concept is not just one of those empty show cars,” he said. “It’s been designed with real intent to turn it into a production model in the not-so-distant future.” What that means, exactly, is unclear. It’s not an outright confirmation that this will reach production. And if it does, we don’t know how close it’ll be to the concept.
In an interview last year, Nakayama said that the Iconic SP is intentionally bigger than today’s Miata, and that the name was picked to not bring a specific Mazda sports car in mind. He also said the design could shrink to the size of a Miata. But this is quite obviously a coupe, and any future Miata will assuredly be a convertible, even if it gets a power hardtop option.
We know for certain that the next Miata will be electrified, but not in what capacity. That could mean anything from a 48-volt mild-hybrid system to a full battery-electric vehicle, though we suspect it’ll be closer to the former than the latter. The Iconic SP uses an interesting range-extender hybrid powertrain, with a twin-rotor engine used as a generator to charge a lithium ion battery pack. An electric motor (or perhaps motors) drive the wheels to the tune of 365 horsepower, at least in the concept.
“Standing by the car, you should be able to picture what sort of engine would be housed under the hood,” said Mazda R&D head Naohito Saga. “That’s how committed we were to crafting this concept car. The more time you spend looking at it, the more the car will reveal to you. In the development process, everything from the position of the doors and tires to the length of the vehicle, the seating position of the occupants, and visibility was meticulously researched before reaching the final specifications. It really shows how much we wanted to make it a car that manifests Mazda’s commitment for the future, especially in terms of sustainability and the future role of our rotary engine technology.”
It’s a strong hint that the engine will be mounted up front, but behind the rear axle, as was the case with all previous Mazda rotary sports cars. Mazda also says the rotary powertrain can run on various synthetic and sustainable fuels.
We’re hopeful to see this car in production. Not only is it gorgeous, it also presents a novel approach to the EV sports car.
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