--- title: "The Only Thing Standing Between Mazda and a New Rotary Sports Car Is ‘Business’ " description: "Just as teen fashion from the '90s has resurfaced at your nearest Target (*Why???*), everything old is apparently new again. [Honda]() brought back the [Integra](), the [Prelude]() is due next, and a [Toyota]() exec has confirmed the return of the…" date: "2025-04-19" modified: "2025-04-19" authors: - name: "Beverly Braga" job_title: "Weekend Editor" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/beverly-braga" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/the-only-thing-standing-between-mazda-and-a-new-rotary-sports-car-is-business" categories: - "Mazda News" - "News" - "News by Brand" tags: - "mazda" - "sports car" --- # The Only Thing Standing Between Mazda and a New Rotary Sports Car Is ‘Business’  ![]() *Mazda* Just as teen fashion from the '90s has resurfaced at your nearest Target (*Why???*), everything old is apparently new again. [Honda]() brought back the [Integra](), the [Prelude]() is due next, and a [Toyota]() exec has confirmed the return of the [Celica](). Is a rotary-equipped [Mazda]() sports car next? The stunning [Mazda Iconic SP]() concept was unveiled in 2023. Not only was the sports car gorgeous, but it contained a surprise: a two-rotor rotary hybrid powertrain. Speaking with [*Road & Track*](), Mazda execs say the company is functionally ready to put a production version of the Iconic SP on the assembly line, but to do so, it has to make good business sense. "If we see a good business case, we’re ready to go," said Mazda CTO Ryuichi Umeshita. “Where we are is developing the technology to pass the U.S. regulation, and we have a very good forecast now… But technically, we are almost ready." “I decided to reopen the [rotary engine development]() group and I gave a mission to them, \[which\] was to comply with stringent emissions regulations like LEV IV in the U.S., and Euro 7," explained CEO Masahiro Moro. ![]() ![]() ![]() "We know that rotary is not good at complying with emissions, that was the reason we decided to discontinue it in 2012," he added. "That is a very high hurdle they have to overcome, but in the last year, the progress has been very encouraging.” Mazda has utilized a rotary engine since retiring the RX-8, but only as a [range extender for the MX-30]() subcompact [electric]() crossover. The [MX-30]() itself was dropped from the U.S. lineup in 2023 due to [poor sales](). But an 830cc rotary engine with 74 horsepower in the name of extended range is a very, very different beast from a full-blooded rotary for raucous performance. The twin-rotor Iconic SP is said to produce 365 hp to the rear wheels. From the beginning, Mazda has never been coy about its production-ready design. “This concept is not just one of those empty show cars,” said design boss Masashi Nakayama [at the time](). “It’s been designed with real intent to turn it into a production model in the not-so-distant future," Nakayama previously said. And his story has not wavered, reiterating with *R&T*, “I have to be very careful what I say here, but we made sure that \[the Iconic SP\] will be feasible for production.” So, the only thing standing between us and a real successor to the RX-7 and RX-8 is proof that enough people will buy one to make the whole thing financially worthwhile. ## Author Born and raised in Hawaii, Beverly has been a prolific and published creative writer since her teens. As a contributor to The Drive, Beverly covers the weekend shift, blogging about all things automotive, mobility, transportation, and topics in-between. Currently a digital nomad, Beverly's only constant is her car, a second-generation Mazdaspeed3. Even though she's never in one place for too long, her hot hatch always feels like home. ### Author social links [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()