When we learned last month that Mazda is developing a RWD platform and inline six-cylinder engines , expectations among enthusiasts soared… a lot.
It also left us wondering how the little Mazda launched itself in such a demand, when the giant Toyota did not do it for the new GR Supra, having chosen BMW as its development partner.
The latest rumors give valuable clues as to how the scores can work out for the Hiroshima builder.
And once again, Toyota is at the center of those rumors with Japanese publication Best Car reporting that both Toyota and Lexus will benefit from Mazda's new RWD platform and inline six-cylinder engines.
If the objective is to guarantee the return on investment of the new platform and engines, “spreading it” over more models seems to be the most effective solution.
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More RWD cars and six in a row?
No doubt, but which models they will be is still speculation. The fact is that, concretely, only the development of the RWD platform and inline six-cylinder engines by Mazda is confirmed.
Even at Mazda, we don't know which models will benefit from this new architecture. Rumors essentially point to two scenarios, a successor to the Mazda6, or a new high-end above the Mazda6.
In Toyota's case, Best Car moves forward with a successor to the Mark X , a longitudinally-engined, rear-wheel-drive saloon sold in Japan and some specific Asian markets, whose current-generation end-of-market has been announced later this year, with no successor announced. In other words, if it happens, the successor to the Mark X could still take a few more years.
In the case of Lexus, everything points to the first model to benefit from Mazda's RWD platform and inline six-cylinder engines to emerge as early as 2022, in the form of a new coupe that will bridge the gap between the RC and the LC.
You shouldn't be the only one, with the IS it's the RC , the Lexus saloon and coupé (segment D Premium), to be also mentioned as future users of this new platform.
However, with the next generation of the two models already in an advanced state of development — the IS is scheduled for presentation in 2020 —, with Best Car mentioning that they will make use of the GA-N platform, also rear-wheel drive with engines in longitudinal position and premiered by Toyota Crown in 2018 (another RWD saloon… after all, how many rear-wheel-drive saloons does Toyota have?), they would be the successors of the next IS and RC to take advantage of the new hardware. In other words, by 2027…
partners
Toyota and Mazda are no strangers to the world of partnerships. Mazda has access to Toyota's hybrid technology, while Toyota sells the Mazda 2 Sedan in the United States of America as its own, and finally, the two manufacturers are together to build a new plant in the US that is expected to start operations in 2021.
Source: Motor1 via Best Car.