The Reason the Mazda Vision Will Likely Never Happen Shouldn’t Be Surprising
Mazda is no stranger to gauging customer reactions to new car designs by presenting them at motor shows. One design that had car lovers excited was the Mazda Vision coupe concept. It was unveiled during the 2017 Tokyo Motor Show.
One would assume the car or some variation would go into production shortly after receiving an excellent reception. However, this is not what happened. And in 2022 it looks increasingly improbable the vehicle will ever grace our roads. Find out why the Mazda Vision is less likely to grace the roadways.
The Mazda Vision concept
The Vision coupe came two years after the Mazda RX-Vision was unveiled. Mazda said the RX-Vision represented the automaker’s dream for a rear-wheel-drive front-engine sports car. It’s worth noting that the only other Mazda vehicle to feature rear-wheel-drive to date is the Mazda MX-5 Miata.
Like other Mazda vehicles designed post-2010, the RX-Vision featured the car manufacturer’s KODO design language. The concept car was designed to work with a SKYACTIV-R rotary engine. Now, fast forward two years, and the Mazda Vision Concept was born.
In Mazda’s presentation of the Vision coupe concept, design head Ikuo Maeda mentioned that both the RX-Vision and Vision coupe were expressive of its vision for its next generation of cars. He also said he wanted the design to feature Japanese aesthetics by mainly focusing on the expression of light and shadow.
Motor1 claims there were some rumors that the car was going into production. However, they never materialized, and almost five years later, the vehicle has yet to hit dealerships.
Why the Vision coupe is unlikely to happen
The main reason we’re unlikely to see the Mazda Vision coupe is because of the popularity of SUVs versus coupes. U.S. Auto Sales lists a couple of reasons why more buyers flock to buy SUVs over their smaller coupe, sedan, or hatchback.
One reason is that SUVs typically have more cabin space making them more comfortable and ideal for commuters and families. This is in addition to extra cargo space, especially when the back seats are folded.
SUVs are more versatile due to the higher ride height and can therefore offer something more than a smaller daily driver. The ride height makes some of them easier to access, not to mention they’re available in various sizes and style choices, like compacts, sub-compacts, crossovers, two-row, and third-row SUVs.
Furthermore, there are drivetrain options for everyone, including FWD, RWD, and AWD, and buyers can pick depending on how they intend to use the car. Lastly, bigger cars being safer also plays a role.
All these reasons have contributed to a spike in SUV sales and reduced the market for coupes, sedans, and other small cars. As such, focusing on a coupe would probably be a waste of resources for the automaker.
Mazda vehicles more likely to hit the market
Given the market’s focus on sports utility vehicles, it’s no surprise that Mazda is set to release a couple of SUVs in the next few years. Mazda has even announced the launch of three new SUVs in the next two years, including the Mazda CX-50, Mazda CX-70, and Mazda CX-90. These models will feature inline-six-cylinder engines and plug-in hybrid powertrains.
The CX-50 is expected to be great for an outdoorsy lifestyle and will come with enhanced AWD capabilities. As for the other two, the CX-70 and CX-90 will feature three rows of seats and be built on a larger platform.
Top Electric SUV also mentions that a rotary engine similar to the one in the RX-Vision may be available in the Mazda MX-30 Range Extender that’s yet to be released.
