Despite the arrival of one of JDM’s most coveted sports cars, the Mazda RX-7, the Japanese automaker hasn’t been on the functionality scene lately. However, this will change as Mazda looks to return to this space, as seen in the new Mazda3 Hatchback and MX-5 Miata functionality concepts revealed at the 2024 Tokyo Motor Show.
Mazda Spirit Racing, the brand’s in-house motorsports division, makes the return to making hot performance cars possible. Essentially, Mazda Spirit Racing replaces the Mazdaspeed sub-brand, which has been long discontinued and was thought to never return as the brand shifted to creating premium cars.
Mazda Spirit Racing has competed in the Super Taikyu series since 2021, allowing it to use what it learns from the series to expand the Mazda Spirit Racing RS Concept (MX-5 Miata) and Mazda Spirit Racing 3 Concept (Mazda3 Hatchback). continue the main outdoor motorsport activities of the Super Taikyu series.
As usual, the black finish is Mazda’s preferred choice to create a sportier appeal of the chrome elements. There are also red accents on the bumper, brakes and side mirrors, a similar technique that Nissan adopts with Nismo cars. The MX-5 has red accents on the inside, adding a red center marker on the guide wheel. While both concepts receive aerodynamic kits on the underside of their bodies, the Mazda 3 Hatchback has a fender.
The Mazda Spirit Racing RS concept has a 2. 0-liter engine, which is expected to be the same as the one in production lately. The engine will be combined with specially evolved suspension and wheels. Meanwhile, the specs of the Mazda Spirit Racing 3 concept are still “overhauling lately. “
If those concepts produce models, Mazda could compete with sports cars from Toyota Gazoo Racing and Nissan’s Nismo division. This extra fuels Mazda’s interest in generating functional cars, reflected earlier through the Iconic SP concept unveiled with a two-rotor rotating EV formula at the Japan Mobility Show.