Japanese website Best Car reports that a potential Mazda & Toyota platform-sharing partnership could bring a second-generation Lexus RC coupe built on a Mazda platform and powered by a Mazda engine.
Rewinding it back, Jalopnik discovered a rare, out-of-the-blue automotive announcement buried in Mazda’s Fiscal Year March 2019 financial results, stating that a new rear-wheel-drive architecture, gasoline-powered Skyactiv-X inline 6 and diesel-powered Skyactiv-D counterpart were in development.
Best Car builds on this news, suggesting platform-sharing with Toyota and Lexus — from the translated article:
The collaboration between Mazda and Toyota is also planned to be expanded to Lexus vehicles.
The model change (that) is scheduled for next year’s IS is being developed as a V6 engine installation model based on the newly-developed TNGA platform (from Toyota’s) Crown, and the next IS is a collaboration platform with Mazda that is equipped with a straight 6 engine.
Using the literal translation, the fourth-generation Lexus IS should launch in 2020 as a TNGA-platform vehicle powered by a Toyota/Lexus V6 (thankfully, no mention of the BMW inline 6-powered IS). Following this, the fifth-gen successor would launch sometime after 2026 and use the upcoming Mazda RWD Large Architecture and offering the Mazda Skyactiv-X inline 6.
Best Car takes this one step further, suggesting that next-generation RC coupe in 2022 would be the first Mazda/Lexus collaboration. This would put to rest the idea that the coupe would be cancelled, though there are so many moving parts to this rumor it’s difficult to see the truth.
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