Antoine
03-24-2006, 12:02 AM
http://www.roadandtrack.com/assets/image/2006/Q1/031620061542596152.jpg
Mazda Kabura
Is this the next RX-7?
"Kabura." In Japanese, it means the first arrow released signaling the start of battle. At the North American International Auto Show, Mazda unveiled a new concept called the Kabura, a front-engine, rear-drive compact sports car, powered by the MX-5's MZ inline-4 and featuring a unique 3+1 seating layout.
When looking at the Kabura, the first thing that comes to mind is the RX-7. When we asked Mazda executives if the Kabura is a design study of the next RX-7, their answer was a nervous "No." Was the trickle of sweat forming on their foreheads an indication we were too close? Not to sound like Oliver Stone here, but I sense a conspiracy.
It's no secret that Mazda wants to bring back the RX-7, but it needs a positive business case to make this a reality. With RX-8 sales not meeting expectations, Mazda is in need of an image boost in the sports-car department (the MX-5 by itself just won't cut it). In the U.S., there's still a solid base of RX-7 fans — thousands attend the Sevenstock event held at Mazda R&D headquarters each year. So, it makes perfect sense to test the waters now with a new sports-car concept that could become the basis for the next RX-7.
http://www.roadandtrack.com/assets/image/2006/Q1/031620061543015394.jpg
http://www.roadandtrack.com/assets/image/2006/Q1/031620061543008436.jpg
Franz von Holzhausen, Director of Design for Mazda North American.
If there is a formula for a future RX-7, we can expect a car unlike the last-generation model, a pure sports car with perhaps too heavy an emphasis on performance. That car was both expensive and virtually unusable for the masses as an everyday driver. Instead we'll see a product that has the general character of the first-generation RX-7 — an affordable sports car with every-day creature comforts, such as luggage space and a pleasant ride — that will appeal to a broader range of people.
Call it a hunch, but I believe Mazda has tried to mislead all of us by putting the MX-5's inline-4 under the Kabura's hood. Because the car is built on essentially the same platform as the RX-8 (and the MX-5), there is no reason why a rotary engine won't fit here. Another curve Mazda threw us is the 3+1 seating arrangement. It's interesting to be sure, but chances of Mazda introducing something so radical after the lukewarm response to the RX-8's "four-door sports car" theme are minimal at best.
The press release about the Kabura is filled with hints of it being an RX-7 (although Mazda was very careful not to mention "RX-7"). But perhaps the biggest hint could be in the name "Kabura" itself. When Mazda joined the world's sports-car battle with the Cosmo Sport (http://www.roadandtrack.com/article.asp?section_id=33&article_id=173) in the late 1960s, it did so with the rotary engine; therefore, figuratively, Mazda's "kabura" is the rotary engine. Mazda seems to be getting ready to release that arrow again, the only question now is when. Sources say we could see a new RX-7 as early as 2008.
http://www.roadandtrack.com/assets/image/2006/Q1/031620061543006603.jpghttp://www.roadandtrack.com/assets/image/2006/Q1/031620061543017372.jpg
* Taken from Mikey's R&T thread...Thanks Mikey!
Mazda Kabura
Is this the next RX-7?
"Kabura." In Japanese, it means the first arrow released signaling the start of battle. At the North American International Auto Show, Mazda unveiled a new concept called the Kabura, a front-engine, rear-drive compact sports car, powered by the MX-5's MZ inline-4 and featuring a unique 3+1 seating layout.
When looking at the Kabura, the first thing that comes to mind is the RX-7. When we asked Mazda executives if the Kabura is a design study of the next RX-7, their answer was a nervous "No." Was the trickle of sweat forming on their foreheads an indication we were too close? Not to sound like Oliver Stone here, but I sense a conspiracy.
It's no secret that Mazda wants to bring back the RX-7, but it needs a positive business case to make this a reality. With RX-8 sales not meeting expectations, Mazda is in need of an image boost in the sports-car department (the MX-5 by itself just won't cut it). In the U.S., there's still a solid base of RX-7 fans — thousands attend the Sevenstock event held at Mazda R&D headquarters each year. So, it makes perfect sense to test the waters now with a new sports-car concept that could become the basis for the next RX-7.
http://www.roadandtrack.com/assets/image/2006/Q1/031620061543015394.jpg
http://www.roadandtrack.com/assets/image/2006/Q1/031620061543008436.jpg
Franz von Holzhausen, Director of Design for Mazda North American.
If there is a formula for a future RX-7, we can expect a car unlike the last-generation model, a pure sports car with perhaps too heavy an emphasis on performance. That car was both expensive and virtually unusable for the masses as an everyday driver. Instead we'll see a product that has the general character of the first-generation RX-7 — an affordable sports car with every-day creature comforts, such as luggage space and a pleasant ride — that will appeal to a broader range of people.
Call it a hunch, but I believe Mazda has tried to mislead all of us by putting the MX-5's inline-4 under the Kabura's hood. Because the car is built on essentially the same platform as the RX-8 (and the MX-5), there is no reason why a rotary engine won't fit here. Another curve Mazda threw us is the 3+1 seating arrangement. It's interesting to be sure, but chances of Mazda introducing something so radical after the lukewarm response to the RX-8's "four-door sports car" theme are minimal at best.
The press release about the Kabura is filled with hints of it being an RX-7 (although Mazda was very careful not to mention "RX-7"). But perhaps the biggest hint could be in the name "Kabura" itself. When Mazda joined the world's sports-car battle with the Cosmo Sport (http://www.roadandtrack.com/article.asp?section_id=33&article_id=173) in the late 1960s, it did so with the rotary engine; therefore, figuratively, Mazda's "kabura" is the rotary engine. Mazda seems to be getting ready to release that arrow again, the only question now is when. Sources say we could see a new RX-7 as early as 2008.
http://www.roadandtrack.com/assets/image/2006/Q1/031620061543006603.jpghttp://www.roadandtrack.com/assets/image/2006/Q1/031620061543017372.jpg
* Taken from Mikey's R&T thread...Thanks Mikey!