New Mazda concept previews rotary-electric MX-5 replacement

Mazda has given no indication of when an electrified MX-5 would make production, but now that the current car has been safeguarded against impending safety legislation, it can be expected to remain on sale until at least 2026.

The Iconic SP makes it clear that Mazda intends the MX-5 to live on in its future electrified line-up and the aim of this concept is as inspiration for a future MX-5, not a reborn RX, even though, like past RX sports cars, it uses a rotary engine.

Guyton said that while “there are technical solutions we have to make, especially with the emissions for the rotary, and with challenges left, including the battery packaging, some of the fundamentals are there.” He added: “This was a demonstration of ‘we want to put these pieces together, can we do it, make it compact and make it a sports car?’ We can.”

The packaging of the rotary “unlocks the concept’s unique proportions”, said Guyton, pointing out that it is based on a “unique” architecture for Mazda. While the concept is a hard-top coupé, it can be made into a convertible and that has been factored into its creation, said Guyton.

Mazda has long been vocal about the potential for combustion engines to survive into the future, running on synthetic fuels or hydrogen, rather than petrol or diesel, as a means of ensuring their carbon neutrality.

Mazda envisions that the Iconic SP's rotary engine would be able to run on "a variety of fuels, including hydrogen", and adds that "if the battery is charged with electricity derived from renewable energy, it is possible to drive in a virtually carbon-neutral state".

Guyton said that as a car maker selling in more than 130 countries, Mazda not only has a duty to produce decarbonised models but also to do so in a way that suited a majority of its markets – ie far from all markets are ready to go battery-electric – and it believes the Iconic SP’s powertrain solution delivers on that.

The cockpit give clues as to just how important handling is for this electric reimagining of the MX-5. The digital driver display hosts a g-meter and, intriguingly, a map of the Monaco Grand Prix circuit – hinting that the Vision SP has been conceived with rapid lap times and driver engagement as a prevailing focus.

There are shift paddles behind the steering wheel too for adjusting the brake regeneration and a touchscreen that looks to host controls for the active aerodynamic elements, suspension settings and launch control. Other visible features include a 360deg camera and an ultrasound sensor in the front grille, presumably for adaptive cruise control.

The cabin is trimmed in a blend of microsuede and Mazda's plant-based bio-fabric material in a nod to the firm's ambitious pledge to be completely carbon neutral by 2050.