marc wiese wrote:
30% lighter than the 13Brew? We need that!
Bloomberg
Automobile News
Tue, 9 Jan 2001, 10:30am EST
Mazda RX-8 Opens Doors to Next Big Thing in Sports Cars
- Rotary-Powered Four-Door Sports Car Moves Closer to Production -
DETROIT, Jan. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Mazda Motor Corporation, renowned for
its
pioneering development of unique rotary-engined vehicles, today took a
giant
step toward bringing to market a revolutionary high-performance,
four-door sports
car with the unveiling of the Mazda RX-8 design engineering model at
the North
American International Auto Show in Detroit. The RX-8 is powered by a
250-horsepower version of the company's legendary rotary engine.
The new RX-8 is much closer to an actual production sports car than its
predecessor, the Mazda RX-EVOLV concept car that was introduced at the
October 1999 Tokyo Motor Show and shown at last year's North American
International Auto Show. "With its four-door freestyle door system,
four-passenger comfort and 250-horsepower RENESIS rotary engine, Mazda
RX-8 is the next big thing in sports cars," said Mazda president and
CEO Mark
Fields. "I wouldn't be surprised if you see this car -- or something
very close --
on some of the world's most scenic, most fun-to-drive highways in the
not-so-distant future."
Highlights of the car include: -- Mazda's powerful, lightweight and
compact
RENESIS rotary engine -- Central mid-ship engine layout and 50:50
front/rear
weight
distribution that dramatically enhance control and handling --
Freestyle door
system, with front-hinged and rear-hinged doors and no
center pillar, that makes getting into and out of the rear seats
faster and easier -- Comfortable seating for four adults -- A unique
interior design
that mixes the traditional with new
contemporary material that appears to "wrap around" the passengers
Overall, the RX-8 has a compact-looking body, while providing enough
interior
room to seat four adults comfortably. The use of a compact rotary
engine allows
for the low hood, short overhangs, and overall sports car look while
providing
interior room on par with a sports sedan.
An integral part of Mazda's revolutionary engineering heritage is its
40 years of
experience with the rotary engine. To date, Mazda has produced nearly
two
million rotary-engine vehicles. Mazda is the only automobile
manufacturer in the
world that offers a pure rotational internal combustion engine. In
1991, Mazda
became the first -- and thus far only -- Japanese auto manufacturer to
win the
prestigious 24 Hours of LeMans endurance race with its four-rotor 787B
racer.
The RENESIS rotary engine represents the potential that Mazda believes
lies
within this unique powerplant. "It all starts with the rotary engine,"
said Phil
Martens, managing director in charge of Product Strategy, Design and
Product and Powertrain Development.
"RENESIS is naturally aspirated, and it is
30% lighter and more compact than the turbocharged rotary engine
(13B-REW) in the current RX-7.
The engine's weight, size, low center of gravity, and
positioning in
the vehicle give the car excellent maneuverability and high-end
performance.
"With its side intake and exhaust ports, the RENESIS rotary engine also
enhances fuel economy and reduces emissions," he added.
The central mid-ship powertrain layout positions the engine behind the
front axle,
even closer to the center of the car than with Mazda's typical front
mid-ship
rotary engine layout.
The engine will have power levels up to 280 horsepower at 9,000 RPM,
Martens
said, and is expected to meet stringent global emissions standards at
launch.
The RX-8's structure suppresses bending and twisting of the body and
enhances
performance by inhibiting vibration and minimizing noise to provide a
supremely
quiet driving environment.
The Mazda RX-8 is new generation four door sports car totally different
>from the
company's famous RX-7. To signify the new genre of sports car it
represents, the
company named it "RX-8."
Mazda is known worldwide for its heritage of building innovative
affordable cars
like the MX-5 Miata roadster and the first generation RX-7 sports car
that provide
a feeling of oneness between car and driver. SOURCE Mazda Motor
Corporation
-0- 01/09/2001 /CONTACT: Fred Aikins of Mazda North American
Operations,
949-727-6844/ /Web site: http://www.naias.com/ /Web site:
http://www.mazdausa.com/ CO: Mazda Motor Corporation ST: Michigan IN:
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