Mazda rules out RX-7 successor, goes cold on performance cars

A will-they, won't-they dance to rival the cheesiest of dramas has come to an end.

Mazda will not build a successor to the RX-7 and RX-8 sports cars. Having teased journalist for years with cryptic clues surrounding the potential future of a halo sports car, management at the Japanese manufacturer has ruled out development of a rotary-powered sports car.

Masahiro Moro, managing executive officer for the brand, says any development of a next-generation sports car to sit above the MX-5 is "entirely off".

Moro-san says that message has been consistent, but that media reports of a next-generation rotary sports car have continued because "somebody has some dream".

"That project has not been on," he says.

In a double blow to lovers of performance cars, Moro-san says a turbocharged hot-hatch version of the Mazda2, Mazda3 or Mazda6 is also off the cards.

"We don't have a turbocharged engine yet," he says.

"We need to figure out if we prioritise developing an MPS line or do different things.

"We need to choose how to do things with limited resources."

The company has examined turbocharged petrol engines tuned for efficiency rather than performance, but Moro-san says the technology is too expensive for regular hatchbacks.

He says the company will instead invest "into our core competency of the internal combustion engine of the next-generation Skyactiv engine".

"We have to make sure we have the tight development resources," he says.

"That is a core competency for us and the most important technology."