Mazda has long flirted with the idea of reviving the rotary sports car since the discontinuation of the RX-8 in 2012, but a newly surfaced patent could indicate a new Toyota Supra and Nissan Z rival is just around the corner.
First reported by US publication The Drive, the patent application was initially submitted in June 2021, but has recently surfaced Stateside.
The patent describes a rotary hybrid sports car, which pairs a front-mounted combustion engine with three electric motors – one for each of the front wheels and one behind the engine.
The hybrid system is detailed in the patent, with two 17kW electric motors for the front wheels, and one 25kW motor mounted behind the engine to help drive the rear wheels.
As The Drive puts it, they believe this set-up is designed in such a way to save weight and cost, while still delivering peak power outputs without the need for a high energy draw.
Full specifications are yet to be revealed for the rotary engine being used, but for reference the RX-8 featured a 1308cc twin-rotor engine for 170kW/211Nm, while the older RX-7 used a twin-turbo set-up to boost outputs to as much as 206kW/314Nm.
Regardless, we have seen a hybrid rotary set-up before in Mazda’s new MX-30 SUV.
Under the bonnet of the MX-30, an 830cc rotary engine is paired with a 17.8kWh battery and 125kW/259Nm electric motor that drives the front wheels, and is used as a range extender after the initial 85km of electric driving range is used up.
The rotary could be assisted by three electric motors.However, unlike the MX-30, it is believed the rotary in the sports car will be the primary driver of the wheels, rather than used as a small-capacity range extender seen on the SUV.
Diving into the patent, it is understood this will be a rear-biased all-wheel-drive system, with the electric motors used for cruising to keep fuel economy down – a major disadvantage in Mazda’s old Wankel engines – while the petrol-powered rotary will kick in for maximum power.
Of note, Australia is likely to miss out on the rotary-powered MX-30 as it is identified as too “niche” for Australia’s less-mature EV market, but the brand has teased a rotary sports car successor as far back as the 2015 RX-Vision concept in Tokyo.
Keyword: Is Mazda finally ready to revive the RX rotary sports car?