While the prospect of a Toyota-Mazda partnership sounds promising, the car they built together had lost some of that Mazda soul. Toyota needs to let Mazda Mazda, especially if cars like the Iconic SP are what they come up with. Mazda execs recently affirmed their intention to build it.
“This concept is not just one of those empty show cars,” said Masashi Nakayama, a manager at Mazda’s design division, in a recent interview. “It’s been designed with real intent to turn it into a production model in the not-so-distant future.” It’s been a year since the car caused the world to collectively swoon when it was unveiled at the Japan Mobility Show (formerly Tokyo Motor Show).
With styling that takes cues from two Mazda legends, the Miata and RX-7, the Viola Red show car forcibly counters the over-aggressive design that plagues modern car design, returning to classical, minimalist lines that scream purity of purpose. It also happens to be achingly beautiful.
Unlike many concepts, Mazda made the Iconic SP as if it they were building it. “In the development process, everything from position of the doors and tyres, to the length of the vehicle, the seating position of the occupants and visibility was meticulously researched before reaching the final specifications,” explained Naohito Saga, an exec at Mazda’s R&D Strategy Planning division.
“Standing by the car, you should be able to picture what sort of engine would be housed under the bonnet. That’s how committed we were to crafting this concept car. The more time you spend looking at it, the more the car will reveal to you,” Saga teased.
It’s not really a secret though. Mazda plans a dual-rotor rotary engine and electric powertrain that makes 370 horsepower. “The rotary engine can be very compact and very powerful at the same time,” says Saga. “That’s one advantage, but also it can be powered by various types of fuels, and that could give us an edge in the race to find a feasible solution for the future of mobility”. He believes that carbon-neutral fuels, synthetic or biofuels, can become mainstream.
“We want every Mazda owner to be proud of the car that they drive and lifestyle that they lead with it,” says Nakayama. If that is true, after driving the Frankensteined Toyota-Mazda that is the CX-50 Hybrid, we know one thing for sure. whatever powers the car, it has to be a wholly Mazda effort in order to preserve the driving feel the marque is known for. We’ve been burned before, though. Mazda has let us down several times in recent years by promising concepts, like the RX-Vision and inline-six sedan, that went nowhere. Hopefully the Iconic SP will break that trend.
It is a beautiful car, a trait that is often lost in current “sports car” designs.
I hope if Mazda does build it that is carries forward the fun to drive soul of the original RX7 and NA Miata. That is a quality that is increasingly being lost in the quest for ever higher performance numbers.
Profit is ultimately the final decision maker. The RX Vision and in-line six sedan both faded away as no economic case could be made for recuperating their engineering and production costs. The RX Vision, as I have stated before, was likely a halo car designed by Mazda for its 100th birthday. Those plans were blown away by Covid which didn’t even allow Mazda to celebrate its birthday at all. It was like telling your five year old that the party was cancelled because everyone of their friends was sick. The in-line six sedan would have been a luxury replacement for the Mazda6 but sales in this segment were dropping before Covid and completely tanked after.
There is hope however for the Iconic SP as it would be replacing the iconic (get it) Miata. The use of a rotary hybrid drive system (and styling cues from the FD RX-7) will also appeal to those who still believe in the engineering wonders of the rotary (me included). Mazda is a great company that has never lost sight of its heritage or ethos to make their products fun to drive. If they build the Iconic SP at a price I can afford, I will buy one.
Wait. You sound like a shareholder but you say you’ll buy one (at the right price point). Which is it? You can’t be both short of a hypocrite.
I am not a shareholder, but I too run my personal finances based on good economics. It they can sell it for less than $50K I will buy one new, otherwise I will wait until the used market gets to my price point. I think you need to better understand the definition of hypocrisy. If I tell someone not to steal, but I go out and steal, that is hypocrisy. To tell someone to buy a car, but setting a limit on my personal spending criteria, is not.
Beautiful!
Take my money. That’s where the rubber hits the road.
Man this thing is so perfect from every angle. That’s all I have to contribute, haha.