Bad news for fans of Mazda sports cars with rotary engines: Masamichi Kogai, the company’s CEO, says he has no plans to revive the discontinued RX series. That’s because of company lacks resources and prefers to invest in improving its Skyactiv technologies instead.
According to Kogai, Mazda’s seven-vehicle lineup is almost stretched to its maximum and the company has to focus on a new generation of improvements.
“It’s difficult for us at present to further expand our lineup. The company is still in the process of improving its financial structure. We want to focus our limited resources on the Skyactiv products that we have today,” Kogai told Automotive News.
All Mazda models except the CX-9 crossover and Mazda5 minivan have received a Skyactiv makeover consisting of more efficient powertrains, lightweight bodies and sportier chassis. Kogai says he favors a more focused core lineup over flashy cars such as the RX-8, as well as lower incentives.
When the Mazda RX-8 (pictured) was discontinued in 2012 amid slowing sales, the brand’s famed rotary engine went with it. Despite being an iconic car for Mazda, the RX sports car series is dead for now, Kogai said. “We don’t have that kind of vehicle in our future product plan. If you increase the number of segments, then the resources we can allocate to each will decline and that will prevent us from developing truly good products,” the executive explained.
This likely means that Mazda’s rotary engines aren’t likely to resurface very soon.
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