All-new sporty SUV coupe could herald return of high-performance MPS badge

Mazda has made it perfectly clear that its dormant MPS performance sub-brand is on hold while it concentrates on more profitable additional models including an all-new coupe-crossover based on the Koeru concept and a born-again rotary sports coupe previewed by the RX VISION 2020.

Indeed, as we reported last year, the Koeru upstaged a Mazda3 MPS concept fitted with the new CX-9’s 186kW turbo-petrol engine, which was to have marked the comeback of Mazda’s long-lamented MPS brand at last year’s Frankfurt motor show before it was pulled.

But what about a go-fast SUV or crossover bearing the MPS – or MazdaSpeed, as it was known in the US – name?

Tetsushi Marutani, Mazda’s assistant manager for drivetrain and powertrain development, implied this was an option under consideration.

He told motoring.com.au he and his team is beavering away on several new powertrain concepts and that the company’s new 186kW/420Nm 2.5-litre petrol engine could slot into any SUV, including the all-new sporty crossover that will be called either CX-4 or CX-6.

“Yeah we can install those [high-performance] systems. It fits to all platforms, except the MX-5,” said Marutani-san when asked about the new crossover and its potential for MPS treatment.

Marutani said a Mazda3 MPS has not been ruled out. “It depends on our research,” he said. “If a customer wants this kind of vehicle, we may develop it.”

And is it possible to slot the new 186kW 2.5-litre turbo-petrol engine into the engine bay of the current Mazda3?

“Yeah, it would work,” grinned the senior engineer, suggesting Mazda could follow the route of Mercedes-AMG, BMW M, Audi Sport and RenaultSport by developing high-performance SUVs.

What’s your opinion? Which car would you buy – a Mazda3 MPS or a CX-4 MPS?

Have your say in the comments below, but before you get too excited, bear in mind that any new Mazda MPS model – including a replacement for the old Mazda3 MPS – is unlikely to appear until the next generation of Mazda models due from 2017.