Photo: Mazda
Mazda has recently filed fourteen patents in Japan, and all focus on a sports car. One of the images, as you can see in the gallery, features the shape of the rear quarter panel and the model's greenhouse. It does not take a Mazda aficionado to notice the resemblance to the RX-Vision concept displayed six years ago.
According to IPForce.jp, the patents are focused on the all-aluminum space frame structure of a new model, which has a coupe body style. Mazda has come up with a different rear body structure that enables increased rigidity for the rear suspension and the driven axle. In other words, Mazda has thought of a way to make a stiff rear axle for the rear-wheel-drive model that has a coupe body.
Everything points to a new sports car, but the patents do not guarantee the debut of a future Mazda sports car. Every automaker's design and development teams are working around the clock to produce innovative ideas, and each step is patented to ensure its potential use if needed. While the sports car market is not exactly booming now, things may change in the future, and Mazda will be ready to launch something new if their board approves the project.
While some dreamed that Mazda will continue its line of rotary-engined sports cars, the Japanese automaker has yet to develop a solution that will allow this type of engine to comply with even stricter emissions regulations. However, Mazda has proven it can build cars without rotaries and make them desirable, so the engine of the potential sports car should not be a problem.
It is worth noting that Mazda is developing a new inline-six engine, which is meant to be positioned longitudinally in the engine bay. The said unit is meant to power a future sedan in the automaker's range, but that can also imply that the unit could be the powertrain of a future sports coupe from Mazda.
While the sports coupe market is not leading sales rankings these days, Mazda could deliver an interesting car with sporty attributes. With six-cylinder power, rear-wheel drive, and the aforementioned rear axle and stiff suspension, it could prove to be a new halo car for the Japanese brand.
Everything points to a new sports car, but the patents do not guarantee the debut of a future Mazda sports car. Every automaker's design and development teams are working around the clock to produce innovative ideas, and each step is patented to ensure its potential use if needed. While the sports car market is not exactly booming now, things may change in the future, and Mazda will be ready to launch something new if their board approves the project.
While some dreamed that Mazda will continue its line of rotary-engined sports cars, the Japanese automaker has yet to develop a solution that will allow this type of engine to comply with even stricter emissions regulations. However, Mazda has proven it can build cars without rotaries and make them desirable, so the engine of the potential sports car should not be a problem.
It is worth noting that Mazda is developing a new inline-six engine, which is meant to be positioned longitudinally in the engine bay. The said unit is meant to power a future sedan in the automaker's range, but that can also imply that the unit could be the powertrain of a future sports coupe from Mazda.
While the sports coupe market is not leading sales rankings these days, Mazda could deliver an interesting car with sporty attributes. With six-cylinder power, rear-wheel drive, and the aforementioned rear axle and stiff suspension, it could prove to be a new halo car for the Japanese brand.
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