- A Japanese report claims Mazda is developing a new sports car with a straight-six engine.
- It suggests the new model could share its platform with the next-gen Toyota GR Supra.
- However, it contradicts earlier reports about a rotary-powered Mazda and a 4-cylinder Supra.
Toyota Gazoo Racing has plenty of sports cars in the works—some confirmed, like the GR Celica, and others still deep in the rumor mill, including a potential new-generation GR Supra. While official details on the next Supra remain nonexistent, a new report from Japan suggests it could share its DNA with a Mazda sports car, potentially borrowing Mazda’s inline-six turbocharged engine found in the CX SUVs.
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Right off the bat, we’ll admit we’re skeptical. The source of this rumor, Japan’s Best Car, has a history of conflicting reports on the subject. Previously, the same outlet claimed the next Supra would feature Toyota’s upcoming 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, delivering up to 400 horsepower in a street-legal package. Now, it’s suggesting a Mazda-built six-cylinder instead.
A Mazda-Based Supra? Not So Fast
According to the Japanese outlet, Mazda is developing a new front-engine, rear-wheel-drive sports car, as a potential spiritual successor to the RX-7 and RX-8. However, instead of the company’s signature rotary engine, this model would allegedly use a straight-six engine. The report further claims that this platform could serve as the foundation for the next Toyota GR Supra, shifting its underpinnings from the BMW Z4 to a Mazda-developed architecture.
While this rumor might excite Japanese sports car enthusiasts, it’s worth taking with a grain of salt. For starters, Mazda scrapped plans for an internal-combustion, rear-wheel-drive sedan not long ago, raising doubts about whether it would invest in another dedicated sports car platform. Developing a brand-new architecture for a niche vehicle would be a bold—and costly—move.
Furthermore, Mazda has already confirmed it’s working on a two-rotor rotary engine as a range-extender hybrid for a production car inspired by the Iconic SP concept. That sounds far more plausible as the long-rumored RX-7 successor. And let’s be honest here, Mazda isn’t exactly known for flooding the market with sports cars these past couple of decades. With the MX-5 already in the lineup, adding another model alongside a potential rotary-powered coupe feels like one sports car too many.
Could Toyota Actually Use a Mazda Powertrain?
Theoretically, Toyota could drop a Mazda-sourced six-cylinder into the next Supra, maintaining the model’s six-cylinder tradition while ditching the BMW engine. However, this would require Toyota and Mazda to co-develop an entirely new platform, something neither company has even hinted at. Plus, earlier Best Car reports pointed to a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder with possible hybrid assistance, which aligns more closely with Toyota’s recent engineering direction.
That said, a Toyota-Mazda partnership wouldn’t be completely out of the question. Both automakers have a long history of collaboration, and joint development could help cut R&D and production costs, as was the case with the GR 86 and Subaru BRZ twins.
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Toyota and Mazda have rebadged each other’s vehicles before, such as the Toyota Yaris and Mazda2 hatchbacks in various markets, for example. More recently, Toyota supplied Mazda with hybrid tech for the CX-50, while Mazda lent Toyota its signature Soul Red paint for the Corolla Cross.
More importantly, the two companies share manufacturing facilities in Alabama and are even working with Subaru on future internal-combustion engine development.
Could there be shared components between Toyota’s and Mazda’s future sports cars? Maybe. But until we get confirmation from an actual official source, it’s probably best to stay skeptical.
