The much-loved Mazda RX-7 may finally have an heir, with Mazda revealing its sleek RX-Vision sports car concept at the Tokyo Motor Show this week.
The RX-Vision features a low-slung silhouette with organic body styling that gives more than a padding nod to the previous generation RX-7, while also incorporating design details from Mazda’s current ‘KODO’ design language. It all looks very futuristic, but the RX-Vision is actually full of retro throwbacks to Mazda’s most iconic rotary sports car.
One thing that has changed is the size. The RX-Vision is substantially larger than the RX-7, measuring in at 4.39m (14.4ft) long, 1.92m (6.2ft) wide and 1.16m (3.8ft) tall. Despite the size increase, it still features the same two-seat cabin layout. It’s unclear at this stage what is happening under the bonnet, except that it is indeed a rotary engine, which Mazda refers to as the SkyActiv-R.
Based on previous comments made by Mazda’s performance car chief Nobuhiro Yamamoto back in 2012, the engine could be an evolution of Mazda’s 16X 1.6L rotary, which could be naturally-aspirated with a power output in the region of 220kW (295hp). Simplicity could rule the day here, with no heavy hybrid or complicated AWD systems; just a simple, lightweight RWD Rotary sports car which would sit above the MX-5.
Mazda says the SkyActiv-R engine “represents Mazda’s next significant step towards achieving a breakthrough in addressing three key rotary engine issues – fuel economy, emissions performance and reliability”.
We’ll have to wait until at least 2016 or even 2017 to find out if the RX-Vision will end up being put into production.