It’s been three years since we saw the Mazda Iconic SP concept. Where is it now? Still in concept form, apparently. The Japanese automaker has been promising to put it in production, but has yet to actually do it. 

It is still unclear whether the Iconic SP concept will result in a reborn RX or a fifth-gen Miata. At the presentation back in 2023, Mazda said that the concept featured a twin-rotor engine that could run on ‘various fuels’. To put it simply, though, it is a hybrid-powered sportscar concept with the engine acting as a range-extender. 

There were reports in 2025 that the Iconic SP concept might be too expensive to put into production. While there has been no official update from the manufacturer since then, Mazda indeed admitted it needs viable demand before actually committing, since sportscars are an expensive project and do not draw the kind of profit margins conventional cars and SUVs do. 

In a new report by motor1.com, Masahiro Moro, Mazda's Chief Executive Officer and President, says that they are working on the Iconic SP. "We still persist in making it happen, and we are marching towards it step by step," the report quoted. 

However, people are beginning to lose their patience, and many of them have voiced their frustrations online. One such user on X pointed out how long they have been waiting, and that the last time they were hyped about the reveal of Mazda’s next-gen Skyactiv engines. 

They said, “It's been coming since 2022 damn, last time I was excited was when they reveiled it was SkyAktiv.” 

Another user referenced a post from a publication that reported Mazda was ‘inching closer’ to producing the SP Concept, saying, “they arent lying about it inching foward because its been like almost 2 decades.” 

Another user cited the RX-8 as a reference point, which was known to be highly unreliable in many cases. They said, “You all gonna try this again and think it's gonna work? Better do a better job than last time you tried to rebirth the rotary.”

One more user cited the example of the second-gen Honda NSX, which had been similarly delayed for many years and flopped massively when it finally debuted.

They said, “The more they delay it, the hardest the hype will fall when it's finally launched. It happened to the second-gen NSX.”

Will the NE Miata be the last to feature a combustion engine?

The current ND Miata has been around for nearly a decade, a report from CarExpert suggests that the fifth-gen Miata could be the last one to feature a gas-powered engine. Mazda Australia’s CEO, Vinesh Bhindi, reportedly got this from other higher-ups in the company. 

"One of the executives who visited us early in the year said 'yes, there will be a new one. When? We can't comment‘. He also hinted at it possibly being the last ICE (internal combustion engine) version,” Bhindi told CarExpert .

The next-gen Miata is already confirmed to be in development, but if the NC and ND Miata’s production runs are anything to go by, we do not expect the NE Miata to arrive before 2029 or 2030. 

That said, the NE will likely feature some sort of electrification paired with a naturally aspirated engine and a manual gearbox. An all-electric Miata will be the opposite of what a Miata should be, but that’s a discussion for another day. 

Read more at Motor Culture 

Written by

Aaradhya Singh

Edited by

Suyashdeep Sason