Rumor: Toyota and Mazda Could Share Inline-6 engine for upcoming sports cars

The rumor mill has created some sizzling rumors of Toyota and Mazda joining hands to produce the next-gen Toyota GR Supra and a possible Mazda RX-7 successor, both of which would employ Mazda's inline-six engine.

While these rumors need to be viewed with a grain of salt, official sources have not uttered a word about it.

The Rumor: Shared Inline-Six Engine

Mazda is also working on a new rear-wheel-drive front-engine sports car that is planned to be the spiritual successor of the RX-7 and RX-8, a report from Japan’s Best Car stated.

Interestingly, this new potential model is said to use Mazda's turbocharged inline-six engine, which is found in its newer models such as the CX-70 and CX-90 SUVs. The same news source also states that this platform will be used for the next-generation Toyota GR Supra, which implies a departure from the current BMW-supplied underpinning to one developed by Mazda.

Skepticism and Contradictions

While the possibility of such an alliance is interesting, a number of factors discourage it from occurring:

Previous Reports: Previous reports suggested that the next-generation Supra would be powered by Toyota's in-house 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, with up to 400 horsepower. This is contrary to the current reports of using Mazda's inline-six engine.

Mazda Development Plan: Mazda formally cancelled a program for an internal-combustion, rear-wheel-drive sedan, raising doubts about its devotion to a new sports car platform. Moreover, Mazda confirmed working on a two-rotor rotary engine as a range-extender hybrid, derived from the Iconic SP concept, which appears more likely as the way forward for a future sports car.

Platform Development Issues: Joint work on a totally new platform would be heavy on investment and co-co-ordination on the part of Toyota and Mazda with no corroborative evidence to justify going in that direction.

Although the news is appealing to Toyota and Mazda to jointly develop sports cars featuring a universal inline-six engine, the absence of supporting data and the presence of contradicting reports ensure such reports get a pinch of salt.