Manual what? It would have all of two gears maximum or so I would think?

I'll bet you a beverage of your choice that it will have at least a 6-speed transmission (whether that's manual, automatic or manumatic). A 4- or 5-speed isn't out of the question (The RX-8 had a version with a 4-speed automatic), so I'm giving you a bit of edge over your prediction of a 2-speed.

To be fair, I should point out that TFA predicts an 8-speed automatic.

That would be interesting because I see no way how you'd have a hybrid (either series or parallel) with multiple motors and gearboxes. What you could do is to have an automatic transmission in a parallel setup and maybe a gear (or two) for the electric motors or a series version where the ICE drives a generator to drive the electric motors (which is how I understand this one works). In that case there would be no gears at all or maybe just two to match the electric motors better to the speed you are driving at.

Can you explain how you think an actual 6 speed transmission (manual or automatic, not 'fake' gears from a CVT) would work with a parallel hybrid? Because the only way that would work is if the electric drive system is entirely optional and just there to relieve the ICE a bit.

Edit: Ah ok, I see it now, so the in-hub electric motors aren't geared at all (they can't be) and the ICE can run across a regular gearbox. So this is a parallel hybrid with the electric motors only coupled in right at the hubs rather than somewhere further upstream. So indeed the electric motors are 'optional', and they are managing the balance by either switching the automatic gearbox to neutral and then use the electric motors to drive the vehicle, not power the electric motors but just use the ICE or a combination of both. This does indeed allow for a variety of different geartrains.

You may be interested to read about the first generation Honda Insight and/or the Honda CRZ. Both were hybrids that were available with a manual transmission. But as another commenter has already explained, Mazda's setup here is very different from anything currently in production.

Per TFA it's 3 electric motors (2 front, one rear), so I imagine something like:

6-speed going from ICE to rear-differential, with an electric engine on the either between the engine and the transmission (like the Insight IMA) or between the transmission and the wheels.

2 electric motors in front, one going to each front wheel.

I rather suspect that if it has an electric-only mode it will be FWD.

[edit]

From an earlier article:

> Two of those will power each of the front wheels individually, while the third one is positioned between the transmission and rotary engine, and will have an assist function like in a mild-hybrid. Car vlogger and YouTuber, Kirk Kreifels, noted that this is a similar setup to the now-discontinued, second-generation Honda NSX with the main difference being that the mid-engine NSX was a F-HEV while Mazda’s latest patents suggest a P-HEV architecture.

https://www.topspeed.com/a-mazda-rotary-sports-car-is-happen...