By Chris Bruce, Motor1.com
A patent from Japan reveals Mazda's development of a space frame
chassis that could potentially underpin a future rear-wheel-drive sports
car, like the long-rumored, much-anticipated RX-9. The filing is
specifically for a “Vehicle Shock Absorbing Structure” and shows a
bumper connecting to the platform.
The Japanese publication Motor Magazine
discovered the patent. It notes that there's a double-wishbone front
suspension. A crossmember in the engine bay appears to force the
powertrain to sit behind the axle, creating a front-mid engine layout.
The platform uses a mix of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) and
aluminum in an effort to keep weight to a minimum.
"There seems to be no platform sharing between the RX-9 and other
vehicles. I recognize that the RX-9 will be built on an independent
platform," an unnamed Mazda source told Motor Magazine, as translated
from Japanese to English. The publication speculates that the chassis
layout visible in this patent could be the underpinnings for the new
sports car.
Filing a patent doesn't mean a company necessarily
intends to build the tech in the pictures, it's just a way of reserving
the idea so that other companies can't use the concept. This is worth
noting because Mazda's CEO Akira Matsumoto doesn't seem too hot on the idea of introducing the RX-9.
"Inside
Mazda, we all have the dream of seeing one day a vehicle powered by a
rotary engine. But given the number of things we have to do, we had to
put this on the back burner, and we have no time frame," he said in June 2019.
There are signs that the RX-9 isn't completely on the back burner, though. For example, a spy video in July 2019 showed two lightly camouflaged RX-8s
lapping the Nürburgring during an industry testing period. It was odd
to see such a vehicle that was long out of production hitting the track
again for evaluation.
