Rotary-Electric Mazda Iconic SP Introduced
At the Tokyo Motor Show 2023, which opened today in Japan, Mazda presented its first new product – the Iconic SP sports coupe, made in the spirit of complete minimalism. Mazda hasn’t said anything about the future of the car, but there is an assumption that this is what the new Mazda MX-5 will look like, which will appear sometime after 2026.
Mazda hasn’t revealed many details about the Iconic SP, but the automaker has released dimensions and a few photos. The concept is 4180 mm long, 1850 mm wide and 1150 mm high with a wheelbase of almost 2590 mm. This makes it approximately 250mm longer than the Miata, 100mm wider and with a 280mm longer wheelbase. At 1450kg, the Iconic SP is also approximately 385kg heavier than the Miata.
The car is propelled by a hybrid system that combines an as-yet unknown number of electric motors with a twin-rotor rotary engine. Mazda says the rotary motor is used to generate electricity, meaning it’s simply a range extender that charges the battery rather than driving the wheels directly.
The Iconic SP’s engine runs on carbon-neutral fuel, but it can also “burn a variety of fuels, such as hydrogen.” The concept car can also act as a power source and offers to connect various devices, for example, when you are relaxing in nature.
New Mazda CEO Masahiro Mori said: “We love the MX-5, and the world loves the MX-5 too. We are committed to preserving the driving pleasure that the MX-5 provides in the age of electrification, and the Mazda Iconic SP with its twin-rotor engine-generator and electric motor is our dream solution, a dream we will work hard to achieve. Mazda will always give people the feeling that cars are pure joy.”
