Delivering a lump of coal in the stocking of any rotary-engine enthusiast, Mazda CEO Masamichi Kogai responded to questions about future product rather negatively.
In an interview with Automotive News, he was asked if there were plans for a larger sports car than the MX-5. The answer? A blunt “No.”
The story was reported all over the interwebs, with many people wondering why a small contingent of fans were upset by the news. After all, Mazda’s RX-8 – the last rotary-powered Mazda sports car – was not exactly what you’d call a hot seller. It was also relatively thirsty, didn’t supply a great deal of torque, and had a few quirks such as oil consumption.
However, the RX-8 had at least as many fans as it did detractors. Its rotary engine was smooth and compact, the latter trait allowing it to be packaged far back in the engine bay without compromising cabin space. The result was a sweet handling little 2+2 coupe that’d please those who wanted a Miata but had to haul a couple of kids from time to time.
Before the RX-8, there was the RX-7. In its third generation it was, and still is in my opinion, one of the finest sports cars ever made. With a sequentially twin-turbocharged twin-rotor engine, it made around 280 horsepower in its final model years, and was far more razor-edged than many of its rivals. It could match pace with an Acura NSX, and made the ferocious Toyota Supra Turbo look clumsy in the corners.
Of course, both the Acura and Toyota products were much easier cars to own. The RX-7 suffered from early cooling issues, and an incautious owner could easily blow out one of the apex seals. Located at each of the three tips of the internal rotor, these were more sensitive to spontaneous combustion (engine knock) than a regular piston engine, and helped give the RX-7 a reputation for being fragile. Many people now swap the Chevrolet LS-code V-8 into the chassis to make a sort of Japanese Corvette.
So: potentially fragile, quirky, not very fuel efficient, and gutless at low revs. Also, an engine that consumes oil at a high rate isn’t exactly going to pass emissions tests easily.
Thus, Mazda retired the rotary along with the RX-8, and hasn’t made a single rotary-powered production car since. Except, the rotary rumour mill refuses to die.
Part of the reason the rotary engine is so popular among its fans is that it couples an underdog image with genuine sporting prowess. In a racing car, weight is the enemy, and having a compact turbine-like engine you can mount far inboard is exactly what’s needed. It’s part of the reason Mazda was able to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans some 25 years ago.
The potential for victory isn’t just limited to the prototypes either. Dig up some old footage of racing at Westwood, and you’ll doubtless see a few early RX-7s and RX-3s cleaning the clocks of heavy hitters with big V-8s. Uncorked, the rotary makes an unholy banshee scream.
However, not everything that works in racing translates over to the street. The rotary engine’s ability to provide power and flexibility high up in the powerband is great when you’re out there with your right foot always planted, but doesn’t work in a street application. It’s a bit like turbocharging in that regard: initial applications had a bit of lag, but the manufacturers soon worked it out.
The trouble is, only Mazda is really interested in the rotary engine, which means they have to stretch out a tiny R&D budget to solve a small-batch problem. Meanwhile, they’ve got to keep improving the CX-3, CX-5, and CX-9 crossovers that are the company’s lifeblood right now.
One potential application Mazda’s been looking at is using a rotary engine as a range extender to support an electric vehicle. Here, the rotary’s compact space makes a lot of sense; also, when used as a generator, a rotary can run at whatever r.p.m. gives peak efficiency, and then simply shut off.
I’ve driven a prototype EV with a rotary range extender, and it worked very well. The packaging for the whole unit was compact, and fit into a Mazda2 without eliminating much of the trunk. An electric Mazda3 with one of these power packs would work just fine.
However, Mazda’s CEO has definitively said that he’s not interested in producing a sports car above the MX-5 with a rotary extender. Hang on a second – let’s take a look at that question more closely.
Automotive News: “No plans for a larger sports car entry with a range extender?”
Kogai: “No.”
Mazda’s CEO hasn’t said no to a reborn RX-7, as everyone is currently reporting; he’s said no to an RX-7 successor that’s an EV with a range extender. I’ve met Kogai, and this is just the sort of carefully worded answer he might give without dropping any hints.
Imagine an RX-7 positioned as a hybrid with a turbocharged rotary engine, similar to the current NSX. The electric drive could help provide the torque the rotary lacks, but the heart of the machine would still have that signature rotary sound.
Fret not rotary fans, I’ve a feeling that the next RX isn’t quite fully dead. The answer wasn’t no, it was maybe.
Brendan McAleer is a freelance writer and automotive enthusiast. If you have a suggestion for a column, or would be interested in having your car club featured, please contact him at [email protected]. Follow Brendan on Twitter: @brendan_mcaleer.
