They're not "slashing R&D funding" when it comes to volume cars and trucks. There's almost no risk with funding the Camry or 4Runner in-house. They sell in huge volumes. The cost is justified and the investment is returned many times over. The GT86 and Supra are niche cars. It takes just as much money to develop a small volume sports car as it does a million selling sedan like the Camry. You just have far fewer cars to spread the cost over. So if you could bring a niche car to market for half the price by co-developing it with another maker, wouldn't you? And yes, an RWD sedan powered by a straight-six is far more niche than it used to be. It just makes economic sense to share the costs on low volume cars.
As @Populuxe Cowboy said, they are leveraging a strategic partnership for a new, niche model rather than design it in-house. It makes a lot of sense when 90% of the market will have no idea and just want to buy something with your badge on it.
Maybe a mod can merge this thread and the other thread? They are on the same topic. I would suggest a title like "Mazda's Push for Premium" or something.
Purists are fanboys now? Got it.
After 50 years of using RX for their rotary-engined cars, it seems to me Mazda would face some fierce backlash from the rotary faithful if they were to start using the RX designation on their reciprocating piston-engined cars. I'm not particularly fanboyish or a purist when it comes to Mazda or rotary-engines, but it seems that Mazda is just too small a manufacturer to risk pissing off the brand faithful by attempting a cynical cash-in on the RX name.Sure, why not? Mitsubishi are possibly reviving the "GSR" badge, on its ASX CUV.
I wouldn't expect Mazda to do the mainstream badge swaps.
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