Mazda's Tokyo news includes another rotary engine hybrid concept -- can we just get a new RX already?
Mazda is using the 2025 Japan Mobility Show in Tokyo to show its sustainable and empathetic side -- and another tease of a forthcoming plug-in hybrid with a rotary engine -- with the global unveil of two concepts: the Vision X-Coupe and the Vision X-Compact crossover. The sports coupe is a plug-in hybrid using a two-rotor rotary turbocharged engine with a motor and battery. It has about 510 hp and 100 miles of electric range, which jumps to 500 miles with the engine engaged.
This is the latest concept with a rotary engine. The Iconic SP concept, seen as a Mazda RX-7 successor, was first shown at the 2023 Japan Mobility Show as a range-extended hybrid with a motor and a dual-rotor engine acting as generator. Output was about 365 horsepower, making it a more powerful and compliant version of the single-rotor engine that marked the revival of its type as a range extender in the 2023 Mazda MX-30. The MX-30 was not offered in the U.S. because the rotary engine does not meet emissions regulations, but Mazda has been working on a next-generation rotary engine that is more powerful and would be compliant. Mazda sees big potential for the rotary engine as a generator because its compact size can fit into any vehicle.
The Vision X-Coupe continues to evolve Mazda's Kodo soul of motion design language that ensures a singular Mazda style. It was introduced more than a decade ago and there are no plans to change it.
The X-Compact is a funky little crossover infused with AI to engage in natural conversation and represents Mazda's vision for the future of smart mobility where people connect with their vehicles. This oneness is deemed a natural extension of Mazda's "joy of driving" mantra and delves into an era where cars are empathetic and can detect the emotional state of the driver.
Mazda is developing the Human Body Sensing Model based on a scientific study of how people experience their cars emotionally and physically, and will use that information to develop a car that cares for you and responds to your emotions. Designer Kaisei Takahashi says the car can be akin to a passenger on a long drive who suggests taking a back road to your favorite café, compliments you on a smooth merge, or warns the driver of a vehicle in the blind spot. It can read the driver's mood and suggest a playlist or stay silent when it senses the driver is not in the mood for companionship.
An additional emphasis for Mazda is sustainability and a future where the more miles you drive, the more you help reduce CO2 emissions. This can be achieved with microalgae which absorb CO2 as they grow while storing oil in their cells. The oil can be extracted and refined into a carbon-neutral fuel. Mazda says it produced more than a liter of fuel from a 11,000-liter culture tank in about two weeks. The leftover algae is rich in nutrients and can be used in food products or fertilizers.
Mazda is also exploring CO2 capture directly from exhaust and recycling it to boost crop growth. To showcase this technology, Mazda will enter an endurance race with the Mazda 55 equipped with Mazda Mobile Carbon Capture. These technologies are said to be incorporated into the Vision X-Coupe concept to reduce CO2 the more it is driven.
Nearer term, Mazda is developing a new E/E Architecture (electrical and electronic) that comes with large displays and the introduction of Gemini, an AI assistant from Google, to replace Google Assistant in a future software update. Gemini will use natural language to execute commands. Further details on timing and which products will get the new features are not yet available.