Photo: USPTO
As you might have heard by now, Mazda didn’t abandon the wonderful but wacky Wankel engine. After all, it was the Japanese automaker that bought the blueprints of the NSU KKM400, improved the design, and created the 40A single-rotor that evolved into the L8A two-rotor and the 10A found in the Cosmo Sport.
The 13B-MSP Renesis in the RX-8 is the last rotary engine designed by Mazda for production cars, with the 16X Renesis II following in 2007 in the Taiki Concept. The last push for the rotary engine came in 2012 with the Mazda2 RE Range Extender, which featured a 0.33-liter powerplant. But with the RX-9 fixed-head coupe that will go official by decade’s end, the Hiroshima-based automaker will be back in the business of offering rotary power to the people.
But before the RX-9, the SkyActiv-R will be implemented in a battery-powered plug-in hybrid as a range extender. Think Mazda’s answer to the BMW i3 REx, which according to the Sustainable Zoom-Zoom 2030 business plan’s timeline, it will be launched in 2019. That’s also the year when Mazda will launch an electric car, but not much is known about what exactly is in the pipeline.
Speaking to Automotive News, global powertrain boss Mitsuo Hitomi confirmed that the SkyActiv-R is the main contender for a range extender. "I think that's probably what it will be," he declared at a technology preview in Japan. Though 1.6 liters (two 800cc rotors) and turbocharging are a bit too much for a range-extended PHEV, Mazda might offer different variants of the SkyActiv-R for the yet-unnamed plug-in hybrid and the long-awaited RX-9.
Hitomi confirmed that Mazda is developing a larger displacement rotary “that might someday power a sports car,” and that’s that. As for the 2019 PHEV and 2019 EV, the plug-in hybrid targets the North American market while the all-electric vehicle is designed with Japan, Europe, and China in mind.
But before the RX-9, the SkyActiv-R will be implemented in a battery-powered plug-in hybrid as a range extender. Think Mazda’s answer to the BMW i3 REx, which according to the Sustainable Zoom-Zoom 2030 business plan’s timeline, it will be launched in 2019. That’s also the year when Mazda will launch an electric car, but not much is known about what exactly is in the pipeline.
Speaking to Automotive News, global powertrain boss Mitsuo Hitomi confirmed that the SkyActiv-R is the main contender for a range extender. "I think that's probably what it will be," he declared at a technology preview in Japan. Though 1.6 liters (two 800cc rotors) and turbocharging are a bit too much for a range-extended PHEV, Mazda might offer different variants of the SkyActiv-R for the yet-unnamed plug-in hybrid and the long-awaited RX-9.
Hitomi confirmed that Mazda is developing a larger displacement rotary “that might someday power a sports car,” and that’s that. As for the 2019 PHEV and 2019 EV, the plug-in hybrid targets the North American market while the all-electric vehicle is designed with Japan, Europe, and China in mind.
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