It’s been more than a decade since Mazda finally killed off the RX-8, and ever since then, the Japanese automaker has continually teased us with the promise of a new rotary-powered sports car that never materialized. Back in 2023, it even showed off the gorgeous Iconic SP concept shown above to really get us excited. Maybe it would actually happen? Eventually? Well, we still have yet to see it, but Mazda insists it really does plan to build a production version of the Iconic SP, telling MotorTrend it’ll get here before the next-generation Miata.
That means the production version of the Iconic SP won’t replace the Miata in Mazda’s lineup, and instead, we’ll get two Mazda sports cars. “You can expect Iconic SP will be a good successor for RX-7,” Mazda Chief Technical Officer Ryuichi Umeshita said. But while it will include a rotary engine, expect the production version to be a range-extended hybrid like the MX-30 E-Skyactiv R-EV that never made it to the U.S. Unlike the MX-30, though, the new RX-7 — or perhaps it will be called the RX-9 — will have a more powerful rotary engine that also meets emissions requirements.
Don’t expect Mazda to chase the new crop of ultra-powerful EVs with its range-extended hybrid sports car, however. The concept made a healthy 365 horsepower, and the production version will probably make something similar.
Don’t call it a Cosmo
We still don’t know what Mazda plans to officially call its new rotary-powered sports car, although RX-9 does seem like the most likely way to go. That said, Umeshita did take one possible name off the table, telling MotorTrend, “There is very little possibility that we will name it Cosmo.” So if you were hoping to see a new Cosmo, you’ll have to keep waiting.
Then again, you’ll also have to keep waiting for the new sports car, too. The next-generation rotary engine that Mazda plans to use is reportedly basically ready, but production won’t begin until 2026 at the absolute earliest. Odds are, we’ll have to wait until 2027 or possibly even later, though. Or it may not happen at all, since MotorTrend reports the “timing is also dependent on a viable business case.” That sure sounds like tariffs could be an issue, which also raises the possibility that the rest of the world may get the RX-9, but the U.S. won’t.
As for the next-generation Miata, that also depends on Mazda finishing development of a new gas engine that will reportedly match the current car’s power while meeting increasingly stringent emissions requirements in the parts of the world where the politicians in charge still care about air quality. That engine likely won’t be ready until 2027, though, meaning the new RX-7 successor may actually go on sale before the new Miata. The good news is, while we don’t know if the RX-9 will get a manual option, Umeshita said the new Miata definitely will.
Mazda and MotorTrend certainly sound confident we’ll see the production version of the Iconic SP concept soon, but will that actually happen? We really don’t want to get our hopes up, but for now, it’s at least nice to believe. Maybe good things actually could happen.
