Forget EVs, this car is the future

Mazda is making moves.

The Japanese carmaker has shown off two bold concepts at the 2025 Japan Mobility Show that point to its next-generation machines.

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This is a four-door sports coupe with potent plug-in hybrid power and a reborn rotary engine.

Under the bonnet is a two-rotary turbo engine with an electric motor and a battery. Mazda claims this set-up produces 375kW with 160km of electric-only driving range and up to 800km combined range.

With an electric driving range of that distance, the concept would theoretically have a battery roughly 25 to 30kWh in size, depending on the chemistry.

Mazda also claims it can run on carbon-neutral fuel derived from microalgae and it has the company’s proprietary CO2 capture technology that sucks in the bad stuff the more it is driven.

It’s a big unit, measuring more than five metres long and almost two metres wide, which is bigger than a Toyota Camry, putting it into the large car category.

It also has a monster wheelbase — the distance between the front and rear axles — of more than three metres. This measurement determines just how much interior space the car has, and that’s more room than a Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series.

The Vision X-Coupe shows off the brand’s future design evolution with the same symmetrical proportions and ample curves the brand is known for.

Next is the little Vision-X — pronounced Cross — Concept, which shows the brand is committed to the small car class with a next-gen 2 hatchback on the menu in the near future.

The fact it is called Cross gives a hint it might spawn a new mini SUV to replace the ageing CX-3.

It is believed this vehicle will be called the CX-20 to better fit into the brand’s current line-up.

The show car’s lack of tailpipes and mostly flush front end hint that the future production car might be fully electric.

Mazda was light on details for the Vision-X concept, except to say it would use AI to help make the car more intuitive for the driver and to help build a relationship between the driver and the car.