Mazda Vision X Coupe Concept.
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This new Mazda concept is another cool design that will never happen. I hate to say, but Mazda has a terrible history of showing really cool concepts at auto shows and not following through with actual production cars.
What we have currently in the real world is the “new” Mazda CX-5. One that looks 99% like the old one. And one that now has a very “un-Mazda” interior that tries very hard to copy a Tesla. All sad news and terrible when compared to these really cool concepts they keep teasing us with once in a while.
This new one looks like a cross between a previous concept and a strangely stretched-out Mazda 3 hatchback. It looks quite nice, but also pretty familiar. Same thing inside, where they are showing really cool gauges and a retro-looking interior. While at the same time, their production models are currently replacing everything with a bit center screen. Just like everyone else these days.
I assume this is a running concept since Mazda mentions a 510HP power rating. A PHEV with over 100 miles of EV range. It also uses something called carbon-neutral fuel derived from microalgae. (I’m not kidding)
Don’t be fooled by this cool design. This is something we will never see. It will never really influence future Mazda designs since the brand is not planning any 2-door coupes or sedans anytime soon. As usual, a future Miata will be the only car in a portfolio filled with SUVs, small, medium, and large…
Another Mazda Vaporware joke they’ve wasted their time on.
In fairness though, this packaging and layout should be their direction moving forward with non-CX models. Just replace the 3 and 6 with a single undiluted model, ditch the 3 hatchback and the 3 sedan for one model cycle, circle the wagons, and reintroduce the 6 as a liftback with practical cargo room to test the waters. If the idea finds traction with buyers, adopt the same layout in a smaller version for a new 3.
This is the same approach Tesla takes with the Model S and Model Y, they have liftbacks on every vehicle, in different sizes, and Acura does the same thing for the Integra.
If you’re going to make a niche product in this segment that competes with those kind of vehicles, it has to have a practical use case with good cargo room, and be competitive on fuel economy, or it’s DOA.
Nobody wants sedans with small trunks and 30mpg, and nobody cares if it has 500hp, buyers want some practical utility in the cargo area and 40-50mpg, and Mazda doesn’t have the resources to juggle multiple models that all share declining market interest.
Consolidate all resources and build a sporty liftback that satisfies buyer demands at a good price, and maybe people will be interested again.
Generally, this design is interesting. However, vaporware is the right term. Mazda has been entranced by the idea of modernizing the rotary engine for an efficiency gain. And I get why they initially had interest – a rotary loses little of its momentum in rotation, whereas a piston’s momentum reaches zero when it hits the top and bottom of each stroke. Despite that, its inherent design means they’ve never been able to really make it work due to problems of sealing the space sufficiently to create the high pressures needed for complete fuel combustion – like pistons. They need to stop wasting their time on this, and this faux carbon capture nonsense. Their small cars just dont have the kind of space that other makers do, or the efficiency. And they should refocus on their driving dynamics, after the disastrous use of trailing links in the 3, CX-30, CX-50. They can do better. And they’d better if they want to survive.
This seems more like a new CX-40.