Anonymous sources say the Japanese carmakers weighs the pros and cons of adding a rear-wheel drive vehicle to its lineup.
The car, which will most likely be based on the Vision Coupe Concept that the company introduced two years ago (see the gallery and the video), may debut at the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show in the coming October. Back in its time, the concept car attracted much interest from the media and the general audience, but the company never decided what to do with it.
The source claims the new Mazda will emerge based on a brand-new rear-wheel drive platform that the company is currently co-developing with Toyota. The next generation of the Lexus IS and GS will most likely also be based on the same chassis and tech.
Allegedly, the car will come powered by an inline-six Skyactiv engine with three liters of displacement and up to 350 hp (261 kW) of power. At any rate, Mazda mentioned this engine in a report addressed to its investors. It also said it would reach the market sometime between 2020 and 2025.
If all goes as planned, the rumored RWD 4-door coupe should hit the showrooms in 2022.