AUTOS: Mazda Plans Rotary’s Return
The unique engine won’t disappear after the demise of the RX-8, the
automaker says as it outlines the future for a rotary-powered sports car.
The 2017 target for Mazda's next rotary sports car would coincide with the
50th anniversary of the first rotary-powered production car, the Cosmo
Sport.
Mazda is working on a new rotary engine expected to debut next year that will serve
as a range-extender for an electric car, which will most likely be based on
the next-generation Mazda3.
This seems like a sad future for an engine that has powered some of the
greatest sports and race cars, including a Le Mans winner. According to one
of Mazda’s top engineers, the rotary’s future is actually much brighter
than simply being a piece of an eco machine.
Speaking with Car Sales, Nobuhiro Yamamoto, program manager for the Mazda
MX-5, confirmed that a new RX-7 sports is was in the works and that it will
be launched in 2017, the 50th anniversary year of the Mazda Cosmo Sport.
The Cosmo was Mazda’s first rotary-powered car and the first volume
production car to feature such an engine.
Yamamoto has a very long history with the rotary engine. He was the
power train manager for the last RX-7, and he designed the engine in the Le
Mans-winning 787B race car.
He revealed that the new RX-7 would feature Mazda’s still-in-development
16X rotary engine, which will retain the previous 13B’s twin-rotor design
but will see its displacement increase to 1.6 liters. Peak output will likely
come close to 300 horsepower without the aid of turbo charging.
Yamamoto explained that special catalytic converters and Mazda’s latest
Skyactiv technology will help the new rotary engine be much more
fuel-efficient than previous versions. He also said there would be no hybrid
tech on the RX-7 due to its intended purist sports-car positioning.
To keep development costs low, the car is expected to utilize a stretched
version of the platform underpinning the next-generation MX-5.
Overall weight could be less than 2,800 pounds.
In the U.S., the next RX-7 is expected to come as a strict two-seater,
while in other markets a 2+2 seating arrangement would be offered. Although we’
ll have to wait five long years to find out.
http://automotive.speedtv.com/article/autos-mazda-plans-rotarys-return/#
http://www.motorauthority.com/category/hybrid,new
http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1078803_future-mazda-mx-5-rumors-coming-2015-200-hp-1-3-liter-turbo
http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1032153_new-mazda-rx-7-to-coincide-with-cosmos-50th-anniversary-report
http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1078847_rotary-extended-range-vehicle-coming-next-year-says-mazda-ceo
http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1060292_mazda-787b-four-rotor-race-car-returning-to-le-mans-after-winning-20-years-ago
Lynn E. Hanover
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