The white whale for Mazda and many of its fans is the return of the rotary engine, or perhaps more specifically, a successful return. Mazda did revive it when it launched the MX-30 R-EV, a range-extended EV that used a single-rotor engine. However, it didn’t last long in Europe, and it’s now an exclusive to Japan. So the quest for a healthy return of the rotary continues.
Based on a Car magazine interview with a Mazda executive, it sounds like Mazda may try a more conventional rotary powertrain for its next attempt.
Photos of the Mazda Iconic SP Concept taken at the 2023 Tokyo Mobility ShowJacob Oliva/CarBuzz/Valnet
It Sounds Like This Executive Is On-Board With The Iconic SP Powertrain
The executive that Car spoke with was Moritz Oswald, who is a project manager and supervisor for product planning and co-creation at Mazda Motor Europe. He didn’t seem to be a huge fan of the range-extender design used on the MX-30, saying that it didn’t provide the experience that rotary enthusiasts want.
He highlighted “the revving,” “the noise,” and “the vibration,” as things those fans are looking for. We agree on at least two of those things, but not on vibration, since one of the inherent advantages of the rotary, and one of the reasons for the range-extender idea, is the lack of vibration. Mazda even had an advertising campaign in the 1970s extolling that virtue to the public.
Experience is clearly what Oswald is focused on, because he also put down the idea of using a CVT for this hypothetical future rotary car, and said that hybridization would be better both for experience and emissions reduction. A rotary hybrid with a traditional transmission sure reminds us of the Iconic SP sports car concept from 2023, which was purportedly powered by a dual-rotor engine with an electric motor. It supposedly made a combined 365 horsepower and powered the rear wheels. It wouldn’t be hard to imagine Mazda using something like the eight-speed automatic hybrid transmission from the CX-90 and its derivatives to combine and transfer that power to the back.
Front quarter shot of a 2024 Mazda MX-30 R-EVMazda
How Likely Is This?
Before the MX-30 R-EV, the last rotary-powered Mazda was the RX-8, which reached the end of the road in 2012. So, it took 11 years for a production rotary (the little range-extender version) to actually come to fruition. In that time, we heard rumor upon rumor that Mazda was on the verge of bringing the quirky engine back. Mazda also kept showing concepts supposedly powered by rotary engines. This kept up even with the introduction of the MX-30 R-EV with the Iconic SP and last year’s Vision-X Coupe concepts. The latter also featured a possible rotary plug-in hybrid powertrain, with that one making more than 500 hp.
Mazda Vision-X Coupe ConceptMazda
The point is, Mazda has seemingly always been saying that it wants, and will, bring the rotary engine back. Not only that, but that it will do so with a striking, sporty car, similar to the RX-7s and RX-8s of the past. So far, all we have to show for it is the MX-30 and its range extender. So we have strong doubts about whether Mazda really can pull it off. Even with the assistance of electricity, ever tightening emissions and fuel economy regulations keep the goalposts shifting. Plus, even though the fan base is passionate and vocal, it’s still niche, and it might be tough for Mazda to make money on it.
Mazda Wankel rotary engine displayMazda
With all that being said, we do think Mazda is serious about trying. Again, the MX-30 is proof of that, and of at least successfully meeting emissions standards and delivering a production engine. A couple of years ago, Mazda even announced that it was reviving a rotary development group. Mazda also showed prototypes many years ago of a follow-up to the RX-8’s Renesis engine that never quite made it to production. The company even continues to file patents regarding the engine technology, with one coming just this summer.
2015 Mazda RX-Vision Concept Red Front Angle Posed Near Lake And Parked Under TreeMazda
So, we don’t doubt Mazda’s desire and efforts to bring the rotary back to life, but we remain concerned about whether those efforts will actually produce anything. Along those lines, we also hope that its rotary efforts don’t prevent Mazda from developing other technologies that might be more important in the long run, such as electrification.
Exploded view of Mazda rotary engineMazda
CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters:
If nothing else, the statements from Oswald continue to show that Mazda’s employees think along similar lines as the brand’s fans, which we appreciate, even if it might not be the most lucrative path. Since we also appreciate the rotary engine, we certainly would like to see Mazda succeed at reintroducing it, but as we’ve noted, we have concerns, too.
As long as Mazda can find a way to keep its enthusiastic and pragmatic sides in balance, it should be able to keep providing fun cars without putting itself out of business, maybe even cars with rotaries.
Source: Car
