Mazda Faces One Final Hurdle Before Building A New RX-7

Mazda made immoderate superior sound erstwhile it revealed the Iconic SP. Not lone did it look similar the truest successor to the FD RX-7 we’d ever seen, but it besides measured up astatine 164.6 inches agelong (4,180mm), 72.8 inches wide (1,850mm), and 45.3 inches gangly (1,150mm), weighing successful astatine 3,196 lbs (1,450 kg). What was adjacent much surprising, though, was that the marque seemed genuinely funny successful making it a reality. And now, CEO Masashi Nakayama says there’s conscionable 1 much happening they need: a coagulated concern case.

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The concept archetypal showed up successful precocious 2023, and Mazda hasn’t been capable to halt talking astir it since. Initially, the program was to usage a two-rotor EV strategy to powerfulness it. By the extremity of past year, Mazda’s plan main said it would participate accumulation successful the “not-so-distant future.” A period aft that, Nakayama said it was inching toward accumulation measurement by step.

Emissions Hurdle Almost Conquered

Now, according to Mazda officials, the institution has flooded astir each large hurdle successful getting the Iconic SP acceptable for production. Speaking with Road & Track, Masashi Nakayama, the wide manager of Mazda’s plan division, revealed that they’ve made immense advancement toward gathering each the method and regulatory requirements needed to marque the car a reality.

“I person to beryllium precise cautious what I accidental here,” said Nakayama, “but we made definite that it volition beryllium feasible for production.” This besides includes gathering emissions regulations, similar the LEV IV standards successful the USA and Euro 7 for Europe. “We cognize that rotary is not bully astatine complying with emissions, which was the crushed we decided to discontinue it successful 2012,” helium said. “That is simply a precise precocious hurdle they person to overcome, but successful the past year, the advancement has been precise encouraging”.

Mazda’s Chief Technical Officer, Ryuichi Umeshita, doubled down connected this, stressing the company’s committedness to making the Iconic SP happen. Regarding the rotary motor development, helium told the magazine, “Where we are is processing the exertion to walk the U.S. regulation, and we person a precise bully forecast now, truthful we are astir ready. The adjacent situation is… present you tin enactment america successful making a bully concern case. But technically, we are astir acceptable – if we spot a bully concern case, we’re acceptable to go.”

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That’s right, everyone. We’re conscionable 1 measurement distant from seeing the Iconic SP spell into production. All we request to bash is guarantee Mazda feels assured determination are capable buyers to warrant the investment. Based connected what Umeshita says, it seems the institution has truly thought this through.

The Rotary Engine Situation

When the Iconic SP conception was archetypal shown, it utilized a rotary motor arsenic a scope extender to support the artillery charged connected the go. This setup generated a combined 365 horsepower (272 kW/370 PS), a coagulated upgrade implicit the RX-7 and RX-8. But Mazda’s been hinting that the accumulation exemplary mightiness instrumentality a antithetic route, perchance switching to a much accepted hybrid setup, arsenic evidenced by speech astir a transmission.

Speaking astir the gearbox that could spell into the Iconic SP (or immoderate a accumulation mentation ends up getting called), Umeshita said: “If, let’s accidental – and we haven’t decided thing yet – if we bash spell to the ace sports category, past [a gearbox] should beryllium faster past astir apt not a manual, but a much precocious transmission exertion tin beryllium used.”

So expect thing with flappy paddles, either a dual-clutch transmission successful a hybrid oregon a nonstop thrust if it uses an electrical centrifugal to powerfulness the wheels.

The Headlights: Do You Even Care?

On the taxable of the Iconic SP’s semi-pop-up headlights, Nakayama was asked if Mazda could propulsion it off. “We tin bash it successful presumption of technology,” Nakayama said. “For example, successful the existent MX-5, determination is simply a deployable bonnet, the hood pops up [in the lawsuit of a crash]… but the question is regulation. Of course, if you could enactment us, we’d emotion to bash it.” Essentially, he’s asking for nationalist enactment to propulsion the thought implicit the decorativeness line.

Honestly, I’m rather definite astir of america don’t attraction either mode truthful agelong arsenic they spell connected and build the thing.