Mazda has kicked off celebrations for the 50th anniversary of its first rotary-powered model by indicating it will revive the Wankel engine as the primary power source for a future sports car.
The news has come via the just-released Autumn edition of Mazda’s in-house publication, Zoom Zoom.
Much has been written about Mazda’s born-again rotary coupe, the design of which was loosely previewed by the striking 2020 RX-VISION concept. However, no technical details were revealed for the stunning concept which was the star of the 2015 Tokyo motor show.
This led to speculation that the so-called ‘RX-9’ may not use a rotary engine as its primary power source, but as a range-extending generator in a high-tech plug-in hybrid system.
Mazda has already experimented with similar technology, with a Mazda2 EV concept powering its onboard generator with a 330cc single-rotor engine.
For its part, since long before the RX-8 was discontinued in 2012, Mazda has consistently said it continues to develop the rotary engine, which it sees as a company trademark. This has been evinced by twin-rotor 1.6-litre 16X and SKYACTIV-R concept engines.
Last August a Japanese report insisted that Mazda’s board of directors had formally approved the design, engineering and production of the company’s long-awaited successor to the RX-7 and RX-8.
Now, Mazda has given the first real hint that its new-generation RX model (not expected on sale until Mazda’s centenary year in 2020), will actually be powered by a rotary engine, not electricity.
Further details are sketchy, but; a) there’s no confirmation of [conflicting reports] that the rear-drive coupe will combine turbocharging and diesel-style HCCI compression ignition to produce about 300kW; and nor is there; b) anything concrete to suggest the RX-9’s SKYACTIV-R engine will be fuelled by hydrogen (as were a number of RX-8 vehicles produced exclusively for Norway).
But the company appears to have left the door open to both of those scenarios in its first salvo to promote this year’s 50th birthday of the Cosmo Sport.
We understand the celebrations will culminate with a global Mazda rotary gathering around September, and could be followed by another version of the RX-VISION at the next Los Angeles or Geneva motor shows in November or March respectively.
But instead of speculating further, read the following passages from the just-released Autumn edition of Mazda’s Zoom Zoom magazine.
“It’s been half a century since Mazda’s rotary engine debuted in the Cosmo Sport, rewriting automotive history in the process,” said Mazda by way of introduction.
“And the story’s not over yet. Without the rotary engine, there would probably be no Mazda. And without Mazda, the rotary engine certainly wouldn’t have been in production for nearly 50 years.
“It was Mazda’s engineers who took Felix Wankel’s unique engine design concept to fruition, and commercial success, five decades ago this year.”
Mazda then went on to outline the size, weight, efficiency and power advantages of a rotary engine (as opposed to a range-extender) especially when fuelled by hydrogen.
“In recent times, the rotary engine’s chief bugbear was its relatively poor fuel economy and higher level of emissions… But when its potential benefits are so striking — light, compact, smooth, quiet, free-revving — surely there is still a future for the rotary engine?
“There are other future possibilities. Rotary engines can run superbly on hydrogen, the universe’s most abundant element. It’s also very clean; combusting hydrogen produces only water vapour.
“Regardless of the technical direction the rotary takes in the future, one thing is more than likely: it will be a thing of beauty. At the 2015 Tokyo Motor Show, Mazda showcased the striking RX-Vision sports car concept,” the Zoom Zoom publication teased.
Would Mazda whet the appetites of enthusiasts by suggesting a hydrogen-fuelled rotary engine would be the perfect fit for a modern Mazda sports car if it had no intention to produce one?
We think not… The rotary charm offensive has officially commenced.