Toyota, Lexus to Use Mazda's Straight-Six Engine, RWD Platform

Are Toyota and Lexus interested in using Mazda's new platform and straight-six engine? Apparently, yes.

According to Japan's Best Car, Mazda's new straight-six engines that are to be fitted for its RWD vehicles will be used for Toyota's Mark X premium sedan and the newest Lexus coupe that's slated to fit between the Lexus RC and LC. 

Mazda's straight-six engines will add two more cylinders to Mazda's SkyActiv-X four-cylinder compression-ignition technology. The engine, which churns out 178 horsepower in the Euro-spec Mazda 3, is more powerful.

The new platforms for the vehicles are planned to be produced around 2022. Best Car also suggested that Lexus has been planning to use the Mazda-sourced platform for quite some time now, and the next-generation RC coupe would be the first Mazda/Lexus collaboration.

The report seems to have a semblance of truth to it as Mazda and Toyota already have a close working relationship. One example is the new Yaris hatchback, which uses the same Mazda-based, 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine under the hood.