Search the Community

We know Mazda has said that it will not be producing any rotary-engined sports car but once again, Mazda is teasing us with these RX-8 mules. These prototypes were spotted at the Nurburgring undergoing tests, with one painted blue while the other is finished in black and wears the RS trim bodykit. Interestingly, the blue unit features a piece of black and white camouflage across its front fascia which is odd to say the least. Both also sounded different from each other as they went past the camera. Without any info on what is happening, we can only guess that Mazda might just be testing the rotary engines that are meant to work with the electric motors in a future vehicle...

[extract] Mazda rotary engines are a type of combustion engine that was derived from German engineer, Felix Wankel

Over the past one year, Mazda has hinted that their rotary engine usage has come to an end. The company had to struggle with stringent emission laws and fuel economy in its RX8 model and it looks like the RX8 would be the last Mazda model to feature the rotary engine. But a recent Twitter update by a Mazda PR employee shows otherwise. A recent twitter update revealed that Mazda is working on a new rotary engine for a new model and they will also feature their SkyActiv technology into it. The actual tweet also thanked supporters for their continuing support of the rotary engine and the RX8. No expected timeline was mentioned as to when we will see this. From what I could remember, SkyActiv focuses on three key areas: (1) Advanced engines with world-beating compression ratios (2) Highly efficient transmissions (3) Sophisticated lightweight chassis technology for high levels of crash safety performance and driving pleasure. If Mazda is going to increase compression ratios on its rotary engine, I wonder how that will help fuel economy, especially on its RX model. For Mazda fans, don

The above image shows an illustration of what the next generation RX-7 could look like. A proper two-door coupe replacement for the much-missed Mazda RX-7 could make its appearance as early as 2011 as a 2012 model. The introduction of the two-seat RX-7 will lead to the death of the four-seat RX-8 with its 'suicide-style' rear doors, a feature which I finds rather unique among the sea of coupes. Officially, the only piece of information that Mazda has released about its next generation RX model is the development of a new 1.6-liter (800cc per rotor) rotary engine called the 16X Renesis. Rumor has it that the new engine can produce up to 350 bhp. The company is also considering to follow the example of the first generation model by developing a less powerful two-seater with not so many fancy features with a lower price tag. In this lesser application, the Wankel would deliver around 200 to 250bhp, which shouldn't be a bad thing if Mazda manages to keep the rear-wheel drive coupe's weight down. When the RX-8 made its unofficial debut in Singapore some 6 years ago through the parallel importers (PIs), it managed to find quite a number of owners with its killer looks and relatively affordable price tag. It was only after some time that Mazda Motors managed to bring in the car officially. But by that time, the PIs have already captured quite a substantial market share of the RX-7 sales. The RX-7 looks like a winner in the making and Mazda Motors should wisen up this time round. Before this entry ends, I would like to share another rendering of this upcoming Mazda offering.