Mazda unleashes an arrow

Mazda has provided a sneak peek at a sports coupe concept due to be revealed at January’s Detroit motor show, but company insiders insist it’s not a pointer to a next-generation RX-7.

Dubbed Kabura and penned by Mazda’s design centre in California, the coupe follows in the wheeltracks of the Sassou and Senku concepts revealed at the Frankfurt and Tokyo shows respectively.

A Mazda Australia insider told CarPoint the Japanese car-maker has more pressing (and lucrative) projects on its plate than creating a successor to the compact rotary coupe that sold here for the best part of two decades.

In case you’re wondering, “KABURA” is a Japanese term taken from “Kabura-ya”, an arrow that makes a sound when fired and used in historic times to signal the start of a battle. The “first arrow into battle” depicts Mazda’s spirit of pursuing unique and exciting ventures, says the car maker.

Mazda hasn’t revealed whether the Kabura uses a rotary powertrain -- like the RX-8 and defunct RX-7 -- but it has announced that it uses a rear-wheel-drive format. Of course, it’s said to embody the “highest elements of Mazda’s Zoom-Zoom ethos”.

Meanwhile, Mazda has also provided the first images of its imminent in full production trim. Previewed as the MX-CrossSport concept at last January’s Detroit motor show, the crossover vehicle is due here in late 2006 or early 2007.

As shown by the accompanying image, the production vehicle is little changed from the pleasingly proportioned concept. It retains the sleek nose, rounded guards and 18-inch alloys of the design study.

The CX-7 is powered by essentially the same engine found under the bonnet of the Mazda6 MPS, namely a turbocharged and intercooled 2.3-litre four-cylinder unit that pumps out 180kW in US trim.

Expect the CX-7 to cost around $45K when it launches here.