Mazda Developing RX-9 Sports Car?

A recent patent application by Mazda Motor Corp. suggests the company could be readying a successor to its RX-8 sports cars.

The report from Japan’s Motor Magazine indicates the company may be developing a production version of the RX-Vision concept car it unveiled in 2015 (pictured).

The conjecture is based on a Mazda patent for a “vehicle shock absorption structure” that features a sports car-like double-wishbone front suspension and crossmember structure that suggests a front-mid-engine layout.

Autoweek says the car could be powered by a new iteration of Mazda’s Wankel rotary engine. The British enthusiast magazine also points out it was told by Mazda’s design chief that the 3-year-old RX-Vision concept remains a candidate for production.