The Japan Mobility Show is right around the corner, and it sure seems like Mazda is going to tug at our heartstrings. Not with a new MX-5, not with a factory restomod, but with a concept that may or may not—in form—evoke a dream we’ve all had and the automaker’s hinted at. The official teaser photo shows a four-door fastback, possibly even a liftback, with a gunslit greenhouse, voluptuous quarter panels, and C-pillar for days. Mazda claims this concept is “representing the vision for future Mazda vehicles that symbolizes the company’s theme for the exhibition,” but enthusiasts are hoping for something more.
Given Mazda’s general concept car trends over the past 15 years, it’s easy to see why people expect this to be a preview of a specific model. After all, the Shinari and Takeri previewed the Mazda6, the Minagi previewed the CX-5, the Hazumi previewed the Mazda2, and the Kai previewed the current Mazda3. The internet’s expecting a preview of a rear-wheel-drive Mazda6, but there’s a chance the internet will be disappointed.
Way back in 2017, Mazda unveiled a gorgeous four-door concept car with classic rear-wheel-drive proportions. Huge dash-to-axle ratio, long hood, short deck. Sure, the Vision Coupe name for the show car was a bit of a misnomer, but it was the sort of thing that got everyone’s hopes up for a new Mazda6. At the time, Mazda’s family sedan was getting on four years old, so assuming a typical model cycle, a replacement should’ve been coming soon.
However, that replacement hasn’t happened yet. Indeed, the Mazda6 that initially went on sale for the 2014 model year wasn’t phased out in America until the end of the 2021 model year, and only discontinued it in Japan last year after a decade of production. While a range of crossovers from the rest-of-world CX-60 to the huge CX-90 have gone on sale with longitudinal underpinnings, the bottom falling out of the family sedan market seemed to dash all hopes of a rear-wheel-drive Mazda 6. Well, for a bit, at least.
Last year, Australian outlet Drive interviewed Mazda’s head of large products, and that interview renewed hope:
In addition [to CX-60, CX-70, CX-80 and CX-90], if there are any possibilities then, of course, we would like to consider that as well,” Kohei Shibata, Mazda program manager of the CX-60, CX-80 and broader Large Product Group, told Drive through a translator.
“Personally, a FR [front-engined, rear-wheel drive] sedan would be a good dream for everyone.”
Of course, that’s an exceptionally vague, non-committal response, but why dangle that carrot in front of our noses? Why not just use the boilerplate media-trained response of not commenting on future products or plans? It would be cynical to view this use of hope as intentional, but if you look at the track record, you can see where the cynics are coming from.
Out of all the seriously long-running mainstream automakers, Mazda has banked the most on hope. Beyond murmurs of a RWD Mazda6, this sort of dance has been going on for a while. Remember when the third-generation Mazda2 in North American production spec was shown off at auto shows from Montreal to Chicago, then unceremoniously canned for just about every applicable market except Puerto Rico? How about that U.S.-spec diesel Mazda6 that never materialized? Oh, and don’t get me started on the rotary sports car revival hopes. All the concepts and patents and even offering a rotary engine as a range-extending generator in the MX-30, but yet, it’s been ages, and we don’t know where any of this is going. These are the sort of blows that make it hard to count on Mazda for future products, but the company’s also hard to rule out because it often does spectacular stuff.
Developing a brand new longitudinal architecture with a new straight-six and a new gearbox in the 2020s seems crazy, but it’s real. You can go down to your local dealer and buy a CX-70 or CX-90 that drives a heck of a lot better than most other large crossovers. Offering an affordable two-seat convertible sports car in 2025 is an anomaly, but Mazda makes it work. Even the premise of a rest-of-world rotary-generator-equipped EREV with coach doors and cork trim feels absurd, but it’s completely real. What’s more, none of the aforementioned promises amount to vaporware, chiefly because Mazda hasn’t asked consumers for deposits on them. But do the amazing cars that actually made it here make up for the stuff that’s been talked about but never happened? At this point, I’m not so sure.
On the Mazda stand at the Japan Mobility Show, we might be looking at an image of the future, or we might be looking at a future that will never materialize. The former would be amazing, but the latter would be heartbreaking. So, don’t read too far into the concept. Oh, and if Mazda’s reading this, when it comes to stuff like a new rotary sports car or a rear-wheel-drive sedan, do it or don’t, but don’t say maybe.
Top graphic image: Mazda
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