Mazda’s famous rotary engine finally made its big return last year, but it wasn’t under the hood of a replacement for the RX-8. In fact, it wasn’t even in a performance car at all. Instead, it served as a range extender for the MX-30 electric crossover. You can’t buy that particular car in the U.S., but that doesn’t mean Mazda’s given up on bringing the rotary engine back to the Land of the Free. In an interview with Automotive News, the CEO said that’s because we need a more powerful twin-rotor engine.
Speaking with Auto News, CEO Masahiro Moro said it isn’t easy to develop a rotary engine that meets stricter emissions requirements but that the company expects to get there soon. ”I want a rotary engine that complies with very stringent emission regulations. That is going to be a significant challenge. We are very close,” Moro explained.
While other countries already get the MX-30 with a rotary engine, it’s allegedly too weak to give us big, strong Americans the kind of power we demand. Because of that, Mazda plans to double the number of rotors, with Moro saying:
If we are thinking about the U.S. market, one rotor is not enough. Two rotors are needed to generate more power. We have tested with the single rotor. The next phase will be moving to two. The rotors spin separately in different chambers with one shaft. We need to generate more electricity. Two rotors will generate more power, which is more suitable to U.S. market characteristics.
While it shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who’s been paying attention, that second-to-last sentence will be a bummer for anyone hoping that whatever car the new two-rotor engine ends up in won’t be a hybrid. It sounds like the new engine will still serve as a range extender just like in the MX-30, and the team simply needs something that can recharge the batteries more quickly than the single-rotor engine.
That would certainly be a change compared to the RX-7 and RX-8, but at the same time, if that’s what it takes to get a production version of the Iconic SP Concept, I’ll take it. If the choice is between a gorgeous electric coupe with a rotary range extender or no coupe at all, I’m going with the former option every single time.
