Mazda6 may spawn 'RX-9' rotary coupe

We first reported the possibility of a Mazda6-based coupe last year, following word the Japanese car-maker was planning a two-door sports car based on its latest flagship sedan.

In fact, rumours of a two-door model based on the Mazda6 platform emerged even before the current Mazda6 debuted in 2013.

In its official 'Mazda Technology 2012' white paper, the company stated it will launch a sedan, wagon and “one other” derivative based on the Mazda6 architecture, but what form that third model would take has remained unclear until now.

A source close to Mazda first told us the coupe will be a two-door version of the Mazda6 sedan employing that vehicle's SKYACTIV body, chassis and powertrain technologies.

What we are now hearing is that the ‘coupe’ is being developed as a model completely independent of the Mazda6 and, according to our sources, could be the long-awaited successor for Mazda's iconic RX-7.

“It would sit on a heavily reinforced version of the Mazda6’s platform, but calibrated for rear-wheel drive,” says our insider.

Mazda has long said the rear-drive SKYACTIV platform that underpins its new MX-5 is scalable, leading to speculation it could underpin the born-again RX-7.

Now it seems a rear-drive version of Mazda's largest SKYACTIV platform – at least until the new CX-9 appears in November – is more appropriate for what would be its flagship sports car than the more compact architecture of the MX-5, a coupe version of which was ruled out by Mazda this week.

Alfa Romeo rejected the MX-5 platform for what was to have become its born-again Spider roadster for the same reason, and also handed the joint-venture sports car project to Fiat, which will instead release the MX-5-based 124 Spider, because it would not have been a vehicle designed and built in Italy like the Giorgio-based Giulia and its sports derivatives.

Pictured here in blue is the artist’s impression of the Mazda6 coupe we published last October, which we think takes Mazda’s Kodo design language to the next level.

But clearly if Mazda is developing a next-generation rotary coupe, which could be called the RX-9, it will look more like the vehicle rendered here in red.

As we've reported, Mazda is widely believed to be developing an all-new rotary-powered RX coupe that could appear in concept form in 2017, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the company's first rotary coupe, the 1967 Cosmo Sport, before the production version goes on sale in 2020 – Mazda's centenary year.

Now depending on whom you talk to, a new Mazda rotary coupe is either in the pipeline or preposterous. Mazda president Masamichi Kogai has shied away from reference to a new rotary, saying last November that all plans are on hold while the company focuses on rolling it its volume-selling mainstream models and returning to profit.

Just days later, Mazda's global marketing chief Masahiro Moro told us development work on rotary engines continues, but that resources would not be invested in a rotary sports car for at least another two years.

That could be just in time for a concept to be created for the 2017 Tokyo motor show, but which time Mazda will have rolled out the five new models it promised to release between 2013 and March 2016 – the new Mazda2, all-new CX-3, Mk4 MX-5, Mk2 CX-9 and born-again CX-7.

At that point Mazda will roll out its second-generation SKYACTIV powertrains in its seventh-generation model family, which will continue with its existing SKYACTIV platform line-up, starting with the Mk2 CX-5 around 2017.

The 'RX-9' could then appear as Mazda's eight model line, based on a heavily reworked, rear-drive version of the Mazda6's SKYACTIV platform, an all-wheel drive version of which could also underpin a range-topping MPS model to sit above the upcoming Mazda3 MPS.

Mazda has long coveted its Wankel orbital engine heritage, which has not been seen in showrooms since the RX-8 was axed in 2012, and says more than a third of its engineers – including former CEO Takashi Yamanouchi – joined the company because of the rotary.

"After all, after the MX-5, the rotary is the spirit of the company," says one Mazda insider. "They’d all love to work on the next one".

The question of exactly what type of rotary what will power the off-again, on-again successor for the 1978-2002 RX-7 remains, however. The RX-8’s 177kW 1.3-litre 13B Renesis engine offered decent performance (except in 141kW automatic form) but was plagued by excessive oil consumption, high fuel consumption and mediocre mid-range torque.

For years Mazda has toyed with a new 1.6-litre 16X rotary, which produced about 225kW in naturally aspirated form and up to 335kW with a twin-scroll turbo. But it's expected Mazda's new rotary will incorporate SKYACTIV and electrification technologies to meet the company's performance, flexibility and efficiency targets.

Could Mazda's technology sharing deal with Toyota even see the born-again rotary coupe employ the Japanese giant's plug-in hybrid or indeed hydrogen fuel cell tech?

Image credit - Holiday Auto & Best Car