A rotary-electric performance coupe that runs on algae and the next Mazda 2.

ONE showing there’s new life for the long in the tooth Mazda 2 and the other is … well, perhaps just a flight of fancy.

That’s international opinion of two concepts Mazda has wheeled out for the Japan Mobility Show (née the Tokyo Motor Show), which opened yesterday.

The smaller of the two, Vision-X (for ‘cross’) Compact, is reconciled as being the next generation of Hiroshima’s smallest car, the Mazda2.

The Vision-X Coupe, meanwhile, is probably nothing more than the maker stated yesterday, an “ultimate iteration” of the 'Kodo' design language, produced to show a potential rather than any kind of probability.

The Coupe intrigues, of course, not just for being very smooth in its styling and rather large, but also in combining a smooth-running rotary engine and an EV battery, with one acting as a range-extender for the other.

The pitch is that there's enough battery capacity for around 160km of range on a full charge from the mains, while the engine stretches that range to around 800km on a full tank.

Mazda’s love of there rotary is famous - so too is that engine design’s desire to gulp petrol. This one won’t … because it’s more of a vegan.

Rather, it has has been designed to run on a synthetic e-fuel derived from micro-algae, which makes the car a 'mobile carbon capture device’. Quite how it does that remains to be revealed in full. The new fuel is definitely a good source of energy, with Mazda quoting a combined peak power output is 373kW.

Back to the Compact: Could it be electric? Possibly. Mazda isn't saying for now, but it has dropped hints that what you see on the stand is but broadly representative of what will hit the road.

The concept takes an interior that does without a touchscreen, instead using a mount for your mobile phone.

Mazda has spoken of the Vision-X Compact using a "fusion of a human sensory digital model and empathetic AI” which can "act like a close companion, it is capable of engaging in natural conversation and suggesting destinations, helping expand the driver's world.”

Translation: The idea is that you talk to the car, rather than touching a screen, and it talks back to you, as Mazda puts it, "much like a friend.”

Mazda says the concepts are also enforcing a new brand message, ‘tThe joy of driving fuels a sustainable tomorrow.’

This, says president and chief executive Masahiro Moro, expresses not only Mazda's fundamental spirit but also the core of its future challenges.

“Under the shared global mission of achieving carbon neutrality, Mazda believes that the joy of driving can be a force for positive change for society and the planet. We remain committed to fulfilling the desire of those who love cars and wish to continue driving forever.”