The Mazda RX-Vision concept indicates that in the near future, a rotary engine powered sports car may once again haunt the likes of the Porsche 911, Ferrari 488 GTB, Lamborghini Huraacan, and others.
The RX-Vision is a two door, two seat, front engine, and rear wheel drive sports car which showcases the future direction of the brand’s Kodo design language.
Underneath the long and low hood, you will find a new generation, SkyActiv-R rotary engine. The last rotary engine powered Mazda RX-8 bowed out at the end of 2012, but Mazda engineers continued the research and development of the motor without skipping a beat.
However, bringing the rotary engine back to the masses is going to be quite a challenge because of its three major shortcomings: poor fuel economy, poor emissions, and poor reliability.
As of this writing, the only thing we know about its powertrain is that it will have a rotary engine. That’s it. So, your guess is as good as ours when it comes to its displacement, power, and torque.
The Mazda RX-Vision is 172.8 in long, 75.8 in wide, and 45.7 in tall. The wheelbase is 106.3 in long. This sexy coupe rides on a staggered set of 20 in rims, which are 9.5 in wide at front and a whopping 11 in wide at back. The front rims are wrapped in 245/40 rubber, while the rear rims are 285/35 rubber.
Mazda’s objectives in creating the RX-Vision was “to shave away all but the essentials” and style it in a way that doesn’t heavily rely on character lines to define its identity. The interior, especially, is a modern interpretation of those found in classic sports cars.
Overall interior design is simple and clean.
The only things visible are the instrument clusters, the steering wheel, shifter, and the pedal arrangements. A first glance of the interior might suggest that the rotary engine is backed by a manual transmission, but I cannot confirm it because I did not see a third pedal anywhere in the images. The cabin is trimmed in basic black and red fabrics, complemented by additional red with silver accents.
As of now, the Mazda RX-Vision or RX-9 (according to some reports) is just a design study and a concept. However, Mazda executives and engineers hope that the RX-Vision will eventually become a production vehicle.
So, when the Mazda RX-Vision eventually goes on sale as the RX-9, expect it to carry a price tag much greater than the previous RX-8. This means the RX-9 will compete against sports cars like the ones mentioned at the beginning, rather than vehicles like the Hyundai Genesis, Lexus RC-F, BMW M4, Chevrolet Camaro, and Ford Mustang.
What do you think of the Mazda RX-Vision?
