Patent present Mazda engaged on new rear-wheel-drive platform, probably for the RX-9
Mazda has been teasing the event of a brand new rear-wheel-drive efficiency coupe for a number of years, and a latest patent submitting uncovered in Japan could present extra proof new chassis is definitely below growth.
The submitting, uncovered by Japan’s Motor Journal and dropped at our consideration by Motor1 on Thursday, is for a “car shock absorbing construction,” which is pictured connected to a spaceframe chassis designed to carry an engine behind the entrance axle. Mazda filed for the patent in Japan.
The depicted chassis has a entrance subframe cross-member operating parallel to the orientation of the entrance axle. The complicated emissions management system utilized in Mazda’s front-wheel drive vehicles precludes mounting an engine shut sufficient to the firewall to clear this subframe, main us to purchase the conclusion that this patent is for a rear-wheel-drive platform, and one that doesn’t presently underpin a manufacturing Mazda. The drawing exhibits a double wishbone entrance suspension, and the Motor Journal story mentioned the construction used carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic and aluminum to cut back weight.
Mazda rear-wheel drive patent submitting
Patent drawings do not at all times point out intent, and Mazda may merely be pocketing this explicit design for some future use. This rear-wheel drive platform could also be meant for a brand new rotary-powered sports activities automotive, maybe known as the RX-9, however not essentially. Mazda has been engaged on a brand new inline-6 based mostly on its Four-cylinder, sparkless ignition know-how, and that could possibly be a candidate to energy a brand new efficiency coupe.
Mazda has been exploring rear-wheel-drive platform growth within the absence of its flagship RX coupe line, and its engineers have acknowledged that the corporate would profit from having a number of platforms at its disposal. In at present’s local weather of modular architectures and cost-sensitive growth, nevertheless, it’s troublesome to justify investing in a specialised chassis for low-volume vehicles.
After years of shifting towards front-wheel-drive architectures, firms corresponding to Mazda’s earlier company overlord, Ford, have proven that there’s room for modular rear-wheel-drive platforms within the mainstream market. Whether or not Mazda has the price range or the product scope to embrace such a shift stays to be seen.
