All looks lost in terms of an RX coupe returning any time soon, but Mazda’s trademark rotary power will live on
The chances of a new rotary-powered Mazda sports car returning in the short-term have been slashed down to almost nothing by the brand’s assistant manager of powertrain development following the global reveal of the 2023 Mazda MX-30 e-Skyactiv R-EV.
Speaking to British publication Autocar, Yoshiaki Noguchi said the return of such a vehicle was still a dream shared by many of the brand’s engineers as well as its fanbase, but that there are ultimately bigger fish to fry.
“Now is not the time for that,” he said.
“When the company situation is a lot better [in terms of profitability and the completion of Mazda’s electrification strategy], we can think about that dream another time.”
The disheartening but ultimately not unexpected confirmation follows on from what seemed like a joyous period of possibility for Mazda sports car fans who have been without a flagship sports coupe for more than a decade now.
2015 Mazda RX-Vision concept
Powertrain patents, sporty ‘R’ logos, rotary-related branding, unofficial renders and even rumours of a collaboration with Toyota have all been hot topics of discussion recently, fuelling a triangular-shaped fire in the bellies of those who desire a reborn RX model.
“We need to keep the electrification of models for this era,” Mazda product division program manager Wakako Uefuji told Autocar.
“This is the first thing we do, but maybe [a rotary sports car] in the future.”
2015 Mazda RX-Vision concept
With the 2015 Mazda RX-Vision concept (pictured) coming to naught in terms of a production version by either 2017 (the 50th anniversary of Mazda’s first rotary model) or 2020 (Mazda’s centenary year), the business case for a modern RX continues to look increasingly unviable as emissions regulations tighten and development/production costs skyrocket.
But Mazda executives haven’t ruled out the possibility altogether.
The best chance of a flagship Mazda sports car rising from the ashes is an apparent collaboration with Toyota that will reportedly see the Zoom-Zoom brand leverage a Gazoo Racing-developed battery-electric platform and fit it with a high-performance application of its new e-Skyactiv R-EV hybrid tech.
Just like the box-fresh MX-30, a petrol-powered rotary engine would act as a generator for a relatively small lithium-ion battery, with no connection to the driving wheels whatsoever.
The drive system would function just like a normal EV – plugs and all – until the battery runs low on charge, when the small-capacity rotary engine fires up and supplies it with more energy.
“There are three big challenges with rotary,” Noguchi said.
“The economy is number one. At the same time, you need to make it lighter to improve the range. Then improve reliability.”
Japanese media sources have tentatively nominated a 2026 reveal date for the co-developed Toyota and Mazda models, but there’s been no official word from either brand to confirm the project is even happening.
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Keyword: Mazda crushes hopes of a new rotary sports car