After years of speculation, fans of Mazda’s rotary-powered sports coupes can finally breathe a sigh of relief. If you weren’t convinced by the words of Mazda’s head designer, Masashi Nakayama, the company’s CEO, Masahiro Moro, has stepped in to reaffirm the brand’s commitment to producing a vehicle based on the well-received Iconic SP concept.

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During a wide-ranging interview with Auto News, Moro was asked about a production version of the Iconic SP. He responded, “We still persist in making it happen, and we are marching towards it step by step”. While not exactly a hard launch date, his words are the closest thing we’ll get to a green light for the production version of the Iconic SP. After years of speculation, it looks like Mazda fans might finally get their hands on a legitimate successor to the RX-7 that we all miss.

Mazda’s Vision for the Future

Moro had shown his enthusiasm for the concept right from the start. During the Iconic SP reveal at the 2023 Japan Mobility Show, the CEO described it as a beacon of Mazda’s “commitment to the future”.

As mentioned earlier, this isn’t the first time we’ve heard about the company’s intent to bring the concept to production from a high-ranking official. Last month, design chief Masashi Nakayama stated, “This concept is not just one of those empty show cars. It has been designed with real intent to turn it into a production model in the not-so-distant future.”

During the same interview, the Mazda CEO revealed that the company is developing a new hybrid powertrain with two rotors, one that could cater to America’s thirst for power: “The rotors spin separately in different chambers with one shaft. We need to generate more electricity. Two rotors will generate more power, which is more suitable to U.S. market characteristics”.

The Iconic SP’s hybrid powertrain is an interesting departure from what many expected. Instead of a traditional combustion (rotary) engine, Mazda opted for a dual-rotor engine that serves as a power generator for an electric drivetrain. This hybrid setup produces a combined 365 hp (272 kW/370 PS), which is more than we ever got from the RX-7 and RX-8 models.

A Hybrid with Purpose

The hybrid rotary engine powering the Iconic SP isn’t just a clever throwback. It also addresses one of the most significant challenges in the EV industry today—weight. By using a range-extender internal combustion engine (ICE) to generate electricity, Mazda can use a smaller battery pack, reducing weight and avoiding the cumbersome, energy-hungry batteries found in most BEVs.

Earlier this year, Mazda told Carscoops that a rotary-powered project would reach the market as soon as some “technical hurdles” were overcome.

The Road Ahead

We recently asked Mazda USA about a production version of the concept and received the following reply: “Iconic SP is a design study for future Mazda sports cars. Whether it’s an MX-5 Miata, or any other Mazda vehicle, the people who work at Mazda have a lot of passion for driving and encouraging others to also find that passion through the fun to drive cars that we make and will continue to make.”

Mazda’s rotary engine is coming back in the spotlight, but this time it’s not just a nostalgic callback to the RX-7 glory days. Instead, it’s quietly shaping the brand’s electrified future. Rather than following the well-trodden EV playbook, Mazda is taking an unconventional route by engineering a two-rotor hybrid system to balance power, efficiency, and the ever-tightening noose of emissions regulations.

Mazda’s CEO, Masahiro Moro, recently revealed that the brand’s rotary engine development is accelerating toward a two-rotor configuration, addressing what he described as a critical shortfall of the single-rotor setup: it simply doesn’t generate enough power to meet the needs of the U.S. market.

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The news comes on the heels of another revelation, after the brand’s chief designer, Masashi Nakayama confirmed that the Iconic SP has been “designed with real intent to turn it into a production model in the not-so-distant future”. The Iconic SP’s hybrid setup also features a compact, dual-rotor rotary engine working as a range extender alongside an EV drivetrain. When unveiled in October 2023, Mazda boasted the system’s ability to reduce emissions by up to 90% when running on carbon-neutral fuels.

Two Rotors, One Goal: Power and Relevance

In an interview with Autonews, Masahiro Moro spoke about their rotary goals and the challenges of the project: “I want a rotary engine that complies with very stringent emission regulations. That is going to be a significant challenge. We are very close.”

The CEO added: “If we are thinking about the U.S. market, one rotor is not enough. Two rotors are needed to generate more power. We have tested with the single rotor. The next phase will be moving to two. The rotors spin separately in different chambers with one shaft. We need to generate more electricity. Two rotors will generate more power, which is more suitable to U.S. market characteristics.”

What’s less clear is which vehicle will house this new powertrain. While the description vaguely mirrors the single-rotor setup of the Mazda MX-30 e-Skyactiv R-EV, a more likely candidate is the dual-rotor hybrid drivetrain of the Iconic SP. With 365 hp (272 kW/370 PS) and an emphasis on efficiency, it seems better aligned with Moro’s aspirations for a vehicle that marries performance with sustainability.

Could the Rotary Engine Do More Than Charge?

While the CEO clearly referred to the twin-rotor rotary engine as a power generator, a patent drawing filed in June 2024 hints that Mazda may be exploring alternative applications for the technology.

The patent, reported by Japanese media Best Car, outlines a two-seater sports coupe featuring a rotary engine mounted behind the front axle, which delivers power to the rear wheels via a rear-mounted transaxle gearbox. The system also includes hub motors in the front wheels, drawing energy from a battery pack located behind the seats. Unlike the range-extender configuration, the electric motors can be switched off, allowing the rotary engine to act as the sole power source.

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This setup would mark a significant departure from the range-extender approach, offering a more traditional sports-car feel, something rotary purists would no doubt celebrate. However, such a design would face the same emissions hurdles Moro mentioned, unless Mazda doubles down on carbon-neutral fuels to make it viable for production.

Mazda’s Multi-Path Approach: Rotary, ICE, and Beyond

Mazda’s rotary developments aren’t happening in isolation. In May 2024, the automaker reaffirmed its dedication to internal combustion engines (ICEs) during the Multi-Pathway Workshop, collaborating with Toyota and Subaru on next-gen powertrains. Prototypes on display included both a twin-rotor range-extender system and a compact single-rotor engine, underscoring the brand’s determination to keep ICE technology relevant in an increasingly electrified world.

Mazda wasn’t just teasing us. We now know from comments made by the Japanese automaker’s design boss that last year’s Iconic SP concept car, or some form of it, will make it to showrooms.

Masashi Nakayama stopped short of giving an ETA for the car, opting to leave us guessing by saying that it would go into production in the “not-so-distant future.” That phrase is open to interpretation, but we take it to mean it’ll be on the street within three years.

Related: Mazda Confirms Iconic SP Sports Coupe For Production

But what kind of powertrain do you think it will have, and is that the same one you’d choose if you were heading up the engineering team? The Iconic SP concept put Mazda’s rotary tech back into the spotlight, but unlike the late, great RX-7, the SP doesn’t use rotary power to drive the wheels directly. Instead, the bi-rotor combustion engine charges a battery pack which drives the wheels, a bit like the setup on Mazda’s range-extender MX-30.

Mazda claims the electric motors produce a relatively modest (by performance EV standards) 365 hp (272 kW / 370 PS) and that the rotary engine can be adapted to run on carbon-neutral fuel, chopping emissions by as much as 90 percent. The automaker also confirmed that the powertrain was not just motor show razzmatazz, telling us that a rotary-powered project would be on sale once “technical hurdles” were overcome.

Rotary engines seem like a great option for range extenders because they spin smoothly – Audi showed just such a range extender concept, the A1 E-Tron, in 2011. But the way we see it, traditional Mazda fans hoping for a something that feels like an old RX-7 are going to be disappointed by what is essentially an EV with a rotary generator.

We’re guessing many of you would like to see Mazda flip the idea on its head and produce a sports car in which the wheels are driven directly by a rotary engine, but one with hybrid electrical assistance to help make more torque and cut fuel consumption and emissions. Or maybe you’d like to see something totally different under the SP’s hood – though looking at how low it is, your combustion options might be limited to boxer engines.

This is all presuming Mazda brings the SP to market as a modern interpretation of the RX-7 that went out of production in 2002. But the other possibility is that the SP was giving us a sneak look at the styling of the next MX-5. That would make sense of the lowish power figure, though the MX-5 is unlikely to go down the EV route, and will almost certainly move to hybrid power instead. In which case, perhaps the range-extender rotary engine will turn up in a totally different car.

But that’s all conjecture. What we know for sure is that Mazda is going to sell a car that looks like the Iconic SP, and what we want to know is what you think should be under the hood. Leave a comment below and give us your thoughts.

About a year ago, Mazda turned heads with the unveiling of the Iconic SP concept, a gorgeous retro-futuristic coupe powered by an electric motor and a rotary range extender. Now, after months of speculation and rumor-mongering, we finally have official word: this isn’t just another flashy concept destined for obscurity, as it’s actually heading for production.

Masashi Nakayama, Mazda’s design chief, confirmed the news, stating, “This concept is not just one of those empty show cars. It has been designed with real intent to turn it into a production model in the not-so-distant future.”

More: Mazda’s Iconic SP Concept Looks Amazing Out In The Open

This is the first time we’ve heard Mazda commit to building the Iconic SP, along with a tentative timeline, though the signs were there The first hint came during the concept’s debut at the 2023 Japan Mobility Show, where Mazda President and CEO Masahiro Moro described it as a beacon of the brand’s “commitment to the future.” Then, in a later interview, Nakayama hinted that the Iconic SP was a project he’d love to see realized, stoking fires that had already started to smolder among Mazda enthusiasts. Now, with production confirmed, that vision is one step closer to reality.

The Iconic SP’s final form could evolve into a successor of the RX-7 and RX-8 sports cars, although Mazda has hinted that its footprint can also be shrunk down to the size of the MX-5 roadster. Ideally, the production version will hold on to the clean lines and seductive curves of the concept, along with those distinctive pop-up headlights. In a market flooded with overwrought designs, the Iconic SP stands out like a glass of neat scotch in a sea of sugary cocktails.

Naohito Saga, the Executive Officer at Mazda’s R&D Strategy Planning Division, emphasized the painstaking attention to detail in the Iconic SP’s design: “The more time you spend looking at it, the more the car will reveal to you”. The high-ranked official went on to mention that “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”.

In other words, this isn’t some cobbled-together concept for auto shows; Mazda clearly invested serious resources into making this a viable production vehicle.

Range-Extender Rotary Engine

While Mazda hasn’t shared any details about what might power the production version, at the heart of the Iconic SP concept lies a compact dual-rotor rotary engine paired with an EV drivetrain. In that car, it produces a combined output of 365 hp (272 kW / 370 PS). The company claims that the range-extender can be adapted to run on any kind of carbon-neutral fuel, potentially reducing emissions by up to 90 percent.

According to Saga, “The rotary engine can be very compact and very powerful at the same time. 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”.

Furthermore, Mazda is currently experimenting with a new technology that could capture CO2 from exhaust emissions. If the proof of concept goes to plan, the technology “could play a role in the development of Mazda’s future range of vehicles”.

Earlier this year, Mazda told Carscoops that a rotary-powered project would reach the market as soon as some “technical hurdles” were overcome. Hopefully, this coincides with the launch of the production version of the Iconic SP in the next few years.