Photo: Mazda
Fancy Mazda delivering on its promise of bringing back the fan-favorite rotary sports car? The Japanese automaker is working toward achieving this goal, with the 2017 Tokyo Motor Show being the place where an evolution of the RX-Vision Concept will make its world debut. In other words, prepare yourself for two years’ worth of improvements to the original design.
Revealed in October 2015, the RX-Vision paves the way to an all-new sports car that will slot above the MX-5. Think of the tentatively named RX-9 as Mazda’s future halo vehicle, the car that will influence the rest of the lineup in terms of design, performance, the whole nine yards. The thing is, there will be a serious difference between the RX-9 and the rest of the company’s lineup.
Starting with the next-generation Mazda3, “regular models” will steadily adopt the 2.0-liter SkyActiv-X engine and the next generation of the SkyActiv-D. The RX-9, meanwhile, will introduce the SkyActiv-R. The Wankel engine is believed to be a 1.6-liter with two 800cc rotors. Patent filings suggest some sort of hybrid assistance is in the pipeline, with the most likely solutions being a 48-volt mild-hybrid electrical system and an electrically-driven turbocharger.
Speaking to Auto Express, the vice president of Mazda’s European R&D division said the RX-9 isn’t dead. “With the Tokyo Motor Show we will be introducing a new design concept - you can think of it as an evolution of theme of the RX-Vision,” he said, adding: “When we introduce a concept our intention from the engineering and design community is to make it a reality.”
The timing couldn’t be more perfect for the evolution of the RX-Vision, chiefly because 2017 marks the 50th anniversary of the Mazda Cosmo Sport. What’s more, 2018 marks 40 years since the RX-7 came to market. Mazda, which was founded Toyo Koruku Kogyo in 1920, is expected to bring the RX-9 to market just in time for the Japanese automaker’s centenary in 2020.
Starting with the next-generation Mazda3, “regular models” will steadily adopt the 2.0-liter SkyActiv-X engine and the next generation of the SkyActiv-D. The RX-9, meanwhile, will introduce the SkyActiv-R. The Wankel engine is believed to be a 1.6-liter with two 800cc rotors. Patent filings suggest some sort of hybrid assistance is in the pipeline, with the most likely solutions being a 48-volt mild-hybrid electrical system and an electrically-driven turbocharger.
Speaking to Auto Express, the vice president of Mazda’s European R&D division said the RX-9 isn’t dead. “With the Tokyo Motor Show we will be introducing a new design concept - you can think of it as an evolution of theme of the RX-Vision,” he said, adding: “When we introduce a concept our intention from the engineering and design community is to make it a reality.”
The timing couldn’t be more perfect for the evolution of the RX-Vision, chiefly because 2017 marks the 50th anniversary of the Mazda Cosmo Sport. What’s more, 2018 marks 40 years since the RX-7 came to market. Mazda, which was founded Toyo Koruku Kogyo in 1920, is expected to bring the RX-9 to market just in time for the Japanese automaker’s centenary in 2020.
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