Mazda really wants to build a successor to the rotary-powered RX-8 sports car. However, the company doesn’t feel that now is the right time to build such a vehicle.
During a recent interview with Automotive News, Mazda chief executive Akira Marumoto confirmed this, stating that building a new rotary vehicle is something the automaker dreams about but can’t do at the moment.
“We have concept cars like the RX-Vision or Vision Coupe, and we are often asked when they will enter mass production.
“To produce a vehicle powered by a rotary engine — and not just using a rotary engine as a range extender — is a dream of everyone at Mazda. But we are not in a business environment now where we can start building rotary engine vehicles straight away.”
Talk of a new rotary sports car has been constantly swirling throughout the past few years and various statements from people within the company have kept hope alive that the car is coming. However, Marumoto’s latest comments shoot down suggestions that an RX-9 (or whatever it might be named) is anywhere close to hitting the market.
Mazda has previously stated building a high-performance rotary engine to meet current environmental regulations is extremely difficult. Consequently, a new rotary sports car is unlikely to see the light of day until the carmaker has made a technological breakthrough with its trademark engines.
No one knows when, or if, this might happen. But if it’s next year or in five years, Mazda will probably remain tight-lipped about the technology until it’s ready to release the new sports car.
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