Rumour has it that the proponent of the Wankel rotary combustion engine, Mazda, may be planning to drop the tech it first adopted nearly five decades ago. The next-gen Renesis rotary has been in development since 2007, but economic hardship is ever slowly pushing the Japanese automaker towards ending things on that front.
According to reports, there’s a huge, ongoing discussion within the company on whether it should continue pursuing movement on the Wankel front. So says the automaker’s executive officer of product planning and powertrain development, Kiyoshi Fujiwara.
Fujiwara states that the development of the rotary has been halted at the moment, and not just because of technical issues – three major problems were identified with the current rotary engine generation, though two of these three blocks have been overcome. Seemingly, with the need to cut costs, Mazda leadership is cutting back on programs, and the one with the engine happens to be on the list.
The reports add that much of the rotary’s survivability will depend on how the company’s SkyActiv fuel-saving technologies take off. If they do, and brand sales pick up, then there’ll be the necessary dough to invest back into the rotary’s development, Fujiwara says. He hopes that such a move will take place, since the tech is very much part of the company’s DNA. Don’t hold your breath for anything to happen for a good four to five years at least, though.
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End of Mazda RX is here… OMG! This is one hell of a technology and also road tax friendly….
More abominable… Mazda RX with electric engine
Keep develop rotary to be range extender unit for EV then..hehe. EV mazda rx9 with rotary range extender
As long as Malaysia do not adapt CO2 emission tax bracket, this is to grieve about everyday…. a sad sad sad story….
sometimes when the fuel-saving technology is not justifiable/satisfying within validating parameter, they’ll dismiss the development regardless of cost and overhead capital. science is not fully grown and humans journey is not end yet. maybe they are
1. unmotivated,
2. pressurized to quit due to spitefulness of those middle parties churning profits out of the thin air from car with high cc or
3. simply the basic concept of validation is still under research.
after all, there’s no way out on three of them, petrol is the most efficient energy compared to the rest. three options there are still valid if a chemist find a binary or simply primitive chemical to create almost similar version of petrol.
1.3 litre RENESIS is more powerful than VW 1.4 TSI. Mazda may sell back Wankel engine to Volkswagen, if needed.
actually, rotary is fuel guzzler, and being that…. it is not friendly to environment by producing high CO2 gm/km
if they drop the rotary….then mazda gonna have some USP problems to sell their cars
What a disappointment indeed!
I really admire Mazda for researching and improving the rotary engine, as I believe that I has a good future. Anyway, hopefully we can still see it in the future.
Fingers crossed!
What a sad news… Mazda is the only carmaker capable to perfect the Wankel engine technology…
I thought RX9 with wankel and lazer ignition is just around the corner…. :(
Anthony, did you get the news right?
According to Autoblog news dated 6th Aug (3 days ago), Mazda has confirmed through The Detroit News that it’s continuing Rotary engine.
http://www.autoblog.com/page/3/
The reports that I read state the same point in essence – that official development of the Wankel has been put on hold, doesn’t mean that the boffins aren’t playing around with the tech, which one would assume they would be, since work on the new Renesis has been going on for four years now. The post you refer to states “That means that there’s a chance that the rotary could make a comeback.” ‘A chance’ and “could make’ means nothing is yet certain. As it is Hiroshima hasn’t canned it, waiting for money to get it going again, if the reading is right. I omitted mentioning the alternative route, of it being used with a range-extended EV.
Wow who knew the engine which seemed all too perfect had actually three major problems.
i think the 3 major problem they mentioning in for the latest developed 16X direct injection rotary engine, not the currently in production.
read somewhere previously, one of them is meeting emission level
damn…that the end of it?that legendary engine….
Why can’t they just place an electric engine next to the rotary engine making it a hybrid? The rotary is a small engine.
Audi A1 etron already come up with this concept.
the single rotor engine was mounted in the boot and the electric motor mounted in the hood.
Proton Exora REEV also use rotary engine for electricity generator
put la campro enjin…….
The rotary engine is quite powerful but for today’s standards the fuel efficiency is just not good enough. The trend and evolution of cars today is down-sizing, having something smaller, increasing fuel efficiency, reducing greenhouse gases emissions, while maintaining or increasing performance. Anyways the RX7s are still one of my favorite, I have them in the game :).
The rotary engine cc is actually quite small compare to couterparts… just ask around how much they are paying for Mazda Rx-7 & 8.. 1.3L engine road tax!!!
But the fuel consuption & power output is almost the same as 2.6L engine… That why if not mistaken in some countries like Taiwan or Hong Kong are paying 2.6L engine tax…
many countries are applying road tax no on capacity but engine output itself (standard, non-modded).
another example, United Kingdom charges road tax according to CO2 level.