Mazda has prepared its fantastic sports car concept for serial production

Mazda is preparing for production of sports cars/Mazda

Mazda stunned with the Iconic SP concept at that year's Japanese motor show Mobility Show. The Iconic SP is more than just a preview of the next Miata.

It showcases a new direction for Mazda sports cars, while paying homage to the era-defining FD RX-7. In a recent article published by Mazda, car designer Masashi Nakayama reveals that the company actually wants to turn this concept into a production car, writes Motor1.

This concept is not just one of those empty show cars. It was developed with the real intention of turning it into a production model in the near future,
he said.

What exactly this means is unclear. This is not a direct confirmation that it will make it to production. And if it does, we don't know how close to concept it will be.

In an interview last year, Nakayama said that the Iconic SP was intentionally larger than the current Miata, and that the name was chosen so as not to be associated with a specific Mazda sports car. He also said the design could scale down to Miata dimensions. But it's pretty obvious that it's a coupe, and any future Miata will undoubtedly be a convertible, even if it gets a powerful hardtop.

We know for sure that the next Miata will be electrified, but we don't know to what extent. This could mean anything from a 48-volt mild hybrid system to an all-electric vehicle, although we suspect it will be closer to the former than the latter. The Iconic SP uses an interesting range-extending hybrid powertrain, with a twin-rotor motor used as a generator to charge the lithium-ion battery. An electric motor (or possibly electric motors) drives the wheels with 365 horsepower, at least in the concept.

“Standing next to the car, you should be able to imagine what engine will be placed under the hood,” said the head of research and development Mazda Naohito Saga (Naohito Saga).

That's how dedicated they were to creating this concept car. The more time we spend looking at it, the more the car opens up to us. During the development process, everything from the position of the doors and tires to the length of the car, the position of the seats and the field of view were carefully studied before reaching the final specifications.

It really shows how much we wanted to make this a car that demonstrates Mazda's commitment to the future, especially in terms of sustainability and the future role of our rotary engine technology,
he emphasized.

This is a clear hint that the engine will be mounted at the front , but behind the rear axle, as was the case with all previous Mazda rotary sports cars. Mazda also says the rotary powerplant can run on a variety of synthetic and clean fuels.

We hope to see this car in production. Not only is it great, it also represents a new approach to an electric sports car.