Mazda's 2014 Tokyo Auto Salon Lineup Revealed

Mazda will be heading to the 2014 edition of the Tokyo Auto Salon (TAS) in the second week of January with a group of racing, tuned and pre-production concept cars, some of which will be familiar to those of you who followed the brand's presence at this year's SEMA Show in November.

The ones we are referring to are the "Axela Sport Mazda Design Concept 2014" and "Atenza Sedan Mazda Design Concept 2014", which are more or less the same as the SEMA Show Mazda3 and Mazda6 ClubSport studies respectively, with different paint jobs.

Other cars to be found at Mazda's TAS stand will be the North American Mazda6 Skyactiv-D diesel-powered racer from the Grand AM GX series, and three pre-production studies, the Mazda6 estate-based "Atenza Wagon Mazda Design Concept 2014", Mazda3 sedan-based "Axela Sedan Mazda Design Concept 2014", and the "CX-5 Mazda Design Concept 2014", all featuring mild aero modifications and bespoke wheel setups.

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New Mazda2 Range Extender Prototype Leaves Hope for Rotary Engine

Granted; a very Chevrolet Volt-like in philosophy Mazda Demio (Mazda2 for the rest of the world) prototype fitted with a range extender powertrain comprising an electric motor turning the wheels and a gasoline-fueled 0.33-liter rotary engine in the rear generating electricity for the supermini's lithium ion battery, isn't exactly promising for the future of rotary-powered Mazda sports cars.

But it's better than nothing, especially after new Mazda CEO Masamichi Kogai admitted that there are no current plans to revive a rotary engine for mass production, or in other words, a successor to the RX-7 and RX-8 models. As long as Mazda engineers keep on working on the technology, there's hope…

Back to the Demio Range Extender study, Mazda showed the sub-compact to the press on Thursday in Japan. According to an Autonews report, Mazda said that while meeting stringent emissions regulations is a problem that needs to be solved, the rotary unit has many advantages, including its small size, running quietly with little vibration, and the ability to burn different fuels.

Like the pure-electric Demio EV, the range-extender hybrid uses a 75kW electric motor to turn the front wheels. The rotary engine is believed to almost double the 200km (124 mile) driving range of the electric model with a 10-liter (2.6 gallon) fuel tank.

Kogai told Autonews that while there are no specific production plans, the company is holding on the rotary technology "partially for sentimental reasons".

“We are the first and only manufacturer to commercialize the rotary engine,” he said. “In that respect, we have some responsibility.”

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