Mazda Iconic SP Rotary Engine Sports Car Will Enter Series Production . The Iconic SP sports car, slightly larger than the MX-5 Miata, was unveiled as a concept just a year ago.
Now Mazda chief designer Masashi Nakayama has confirmed that there will be a production version and it won't be long to wait – its production will begin “in the near future”. The upcoming new product is called the ideological successor of the RX-7 and RX-8.
The rotary engine, also known as the Vankelow, has both advantages and disadvantages. Advantages include compact size and power, while disadvantages include fuel consumption, increased exhaust toxicity, and fragility.
However, the disadvantages are more than the advantages, which is the reason why car companies refuse to produce cars with such a unit. Mazda hasn't produced a rotary-powered car since 2012, when the last RX-8 rolled off the assembly line.
At the beginning of 2023, the automaker introduced the first car in many years with a rotary engine, saying that the unit is of a new generation and all its shortcomings have been removed. It is part of the hybrid installation of the MX-30 e-Skyactiv R-EV crossover. And in the fall of the same year, the Iconic SP debuted.
Mazda Iconic SP was presented at the end of October at the Japan Mobility Show in Tokyo, and its main feature, in addition to the design with classical proportions, was a two-piston rotor engine that played the role of an electricity generator, i.e. not related to the wheels. During the premiere, Mazda announced only the power of the installation, which is 370 horsepower.
The appearance of the production Mazda Iconic SP has now been officially confirmed. According to unofficial data, a production-ready sports car could be presented as early as 2026. The Japanese company also shared other news:
The new generation Mazda CX-5 crossover will appear between 2025 and 2027, when an electric car and an SUV developed in cooperation with China's Changan will be launched. In addition, by 2027, the SkyActiv-G and SkyActiv-X families will be replaced by four-cylinder engines from the SkyActiv-Z family.