Mazda is expected to also show a rotary, but it'll reportedly be serving as a range extender, not in the nose of a sexy new sports car.

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Mazda will reveal its first pure-electric vehicle at the upcoming Tokyo motor show, according to a new report. UPDATE: September 25, 2019: Mazda has at 8:00pm confirmed it will release its first-ever electric vehicle at the Tokyo motor show. The company says the car will be a "completely new model", and it'll be "developed in accordance with Mazda's human-centric philosophy" and make "full use of the benefits of electric drive technology".

September 17: Recently snapped testing under a CX-30 body, the pure-electric model is expected to go on sale in 2020. A company spokesperson confirmed the EV's existence to Automotive News, and says it will be "brand new". The prototype is fitted with a 35.5kWh battery pack, and offers 105kW and 264Nm from its front-mounted electric motor. Whether those numbers will make production remains to be seen, but they'd make the Mazda EV similar to the Nissan Leaf on paper. The Leaf offers 110kW and 320Nm from its electric motor, and has a 40kWh battery pack good for 270km on the WLTP test cycle. According to the report, the EV will be offered with a range extender or a pure-electric powertrain. Expect the pure EV to be aimed at markets like Japan, China and Europe, while the range extender will target markets like the USA and Australia where range anxiety is more prevalent.

There's talk of the range extender's internal-combustion powertrain being a rotary, too. Don't expect to see an internal-combustion car powered by a pure rotary engine any time soon, though. Mazda has previously said "we all have the dream of seeing one day a vehicle powered by a rotary engine", but sadly for enthusiasts, "given the number of things we have to do, we had to put this on the back burner, and we have no time frame". MORE: Mazda news, reviews, comparisons and videos