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      09-05-2017, 12:08 PM   #23
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Mazda Officials Sort-of Confirm Working On New Rotary-Based Hybrid

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Another week, another report on Mazda’s return on making spinning-dorito engines: Mazda’s head of Technical Research Center reportedly confirmed the development of a new rotary-based electrified powertrain.

During an interview with Australian Wheels magazine, Mitsuo Hitomi said “We’re still continuing development of the next generation rotary engine,” adding that range-extender tech will also be applied, with the powertrain destined for a new sports car.

There’ve been tons of reports on the matter, with Mazda understandably wanting to control the hype of a possible rotary return, because the company wants to reach a real breakthrough with the engine tech, as it was confirmed by Mazda’s boss Masamichi Kogai back in 2015.

“We cannot improve the rotary engine to the current conventional engine emissions,” admitted Hitomi, but he continued saying that working on traditional rotary issues such as apex seals and oil consumption are “the focus point of the new rotary engine”.

This is the second time we get to hear someone from Mazda talking about a new rotary engine that will be part of an electrified powertrain. Last March Mazda's R&D chief, Matsuhiro Tanaka said “Both performance and economy are possible with rotary. It's very stable and quiet at standard revolutions, so some potential exists for that.”

This means that if Mazda does indeed bring back the rotary engine, it will act as a generator to juice up a battery pack, spinning constantly at a specific point of the rev band. But the emissions issue remains, with Mazda apparently testing various technologies to make a rotary engine clean enough. “We are investigating various kinds of emission systems to ensure ideal conditions,” said Hitomi.

As for when is Mazda’s deadline for this, new-age rotary-based powertrain, Hidetoshi Kudo, Executive Officer in charge of R&D Administration and Product Strategy noted “It’s Mazda’s centenary in 2020,” giving away perhaps the year we get to see the rotary return, even in this form.
http://www.carscoops.com/2017/09/maz...m-working.html

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      09-05-2017, 12:48 PM   #24
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      09-18-2017, 11:14 AM   #25
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New Mazda RX sports car sports car still on track

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New Mazda RX concept car set for Tokyo Motor Show as Mazda confirms intention to bring the rotary engined sports car to life

Mazda’s RX Vision concept car is gaining momentum on its road to production and will influence the look of other cars as the brand prepares to unveil a new concept car at the Tokyo Motor Show in October.

It’s almost two years since Mazda first revealed the RX Vision, which gave us our best indication yet that a new rotary-powered Mazda sports car was in the pipeline. Since then it has gone a bit quiet, as Mazda bosses have been trying to piece together a business case for the car.

However, a conversation with Mazda’s Vice President for R&D in Europe, Matsuhiro Tanaka, at the recent Frankfurt Motor Show shows things are back on track. “With the Tokyo Motor Show we will be introducing a new design concept - you can think of it as an evolution of theme of the RX Vision.

“When we introduce a concept our intention from the engineering and design community is to make it a reality,” Tanaka told Auto Express. “What I will say is that we are making the utmost efforts to try and make this a possibility.”

Asked if Mazda would consider forming another alliance, like it did with Fiat on the MX-5, to help reduce costs, Tanaka said: “Currently we have absolutely no plans to make any such alliances.”

It’s understood that Mazda wishes go it alone with the RX Vision because of how precious the brand feels over the Rotary engine technology currently under development.

New Mazda RX rotary engine: hybrid or non-hybrid?

The Mazda rotary-engined sports car is expected to arrive with a pure combustion engine instead of relying on electrification. The Japanese manufacturer showed its RX-Vision concept sports car at its Los Angeles Auto Show in 2016 - and a production version is thought to be earmarked to coincide with Mazda's centenary celebrations in 2020.

Speaking at the LA show, the firm’s head of R&D Kiyoshi Fujiwara admitted that several challenges remained before the long-awaited successor to the RX-7 and RX-8 could be given the green light and acknowledged that a rotary engine development team was still active.

“It is a small group of engineers still working, but they are still working,” Fujiwara told Auto Express, before revealing that there are “more than 10 staff and fewer than one hundred” committed to rotary development. “The things standing in the way are both the business case and the technical challenges - but I am optimistic that a solution for the technical challenges can be found.

“We have had significant challenges as a business even five years ago and there are debts from the past 30 or 40 years that need to be overcome, but if cars like the new CX-5 are successful then a production version of the RX-Vision could be a possibility. So you can see that CX-5 is extremely important.”

When asked if one of the potential solutions on rotary tech could be electrification, Fujiwara said, “All of our other internal combustion engines will have to have some form of electrification at some point - mild hybrid or 48-volt electrics” he said. “So yes, that type of technology could be in rotary engines in the future.”

“However, I believe I would like to introduce the new rotary engine without electrification,” he said, “because I think that is what the rotary engine fans will want.”

One other potential product strategy could be for the production RX-Vision to arrive in 2020 with a new generation of rotary engine, and then for a higher-performance version to overcome the technology’s inherit torque deficit by using 48V-based electric turbochargers.
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/mazda/9...still-on-track
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      09-18-2017, 04:00 PM   #26
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Originally Posted by NFiftyWon View Post
Looks like an aston martin db10
This is never a bad thing

Mazda probably the only JP manifacturer who is able to make a proper looking cars. This one, I must admit, looks really good.
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      09-18-2017, 04:13 PM   #27
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Only cool if it has this.

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      09-18-2017, 06:52 PM   #28
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As a former FD R1, and R2 owner, I would love to see this happen. The RX8 was a disappointment to me and very uninspiring, especially after the FD, so it never appealed to me. I think this has potential to be special, at least design wise so far... I guess we will have to wait and see what kind of performance it can bring.
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      09-19-2017, 01:42 AM   #29
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Boy,she's beautiful! But does remind me a lot of Maybach Vision 6 - the prolonged front.
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      09-19-2017, 04:14 PM   #30
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mlust View Post
As a former FD R1, and R2 owner, I would love to see this happen. The RX8 was a disappointment to me and very uninspiring, especially after the FD, so it never appealed to me. I think this has potential to be special, at least design wise so far... I guess we will have to wait and see what kind of performance it can bring.
We know what ill bring if its a true rotary, ill blow away much of the competition and blow it self up half the time doing it.

Great design, sadly they will ruin it going to production.
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      10-06-2017, 05:56 PM   #31
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Mazda Patent Shows Novel Active Spoiler Design That May Already Be On The RX-Vision




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      10-07-2017, 06:30 AM   #32
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I would love to see that happening! Great looking car.
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      12-07-2017, 03:42 PM   #33
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Is This The Mazda RX-9 Mule We’ve Been Waiting For?

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A very suspicious-looking Mazda RX-8 was spotted around the Nurburgring, with our spies telling us that this is a mule powered by the company’s upcoming two-rotor turbo engine.

2019 will mark the 60th anniversary of the Wankel engine as well as the 50th anniversary of Mazda’s first application of the piston-less engine in Cosmo II, making it a good year for the company to bring the beloved spinning-dorito engine back to production.

However, the main question is which form will Mazda choose for the wankel engine in order to return. The company’s executives have said in the past that the specific technology will return in the role of a range-extender generator as part of a new electrified powertrain.

Our spies however saw Mazda engineers benchmarking a Porsche Cayman against their test mule on the Nurburgring, indicating at a much sportier reincarnation of the rotary technology.

Some reports say that the new rotary engine will be a turbocharged 1.6-liter two-rotor unit with around 400hp, while others talk about a hybrid rotary powertrain with as much as 450hp.

The final production car is expected to tip the scales at around 1,300kg, making use of Mazda’s expertise in lightweight vehicles while the design will be inspired by the jaw-dropping RX-Vision concept.

Is this real? Are we finally going to get a new rotary sports car? Stay tuned for more info as we have them.
http://www.carscoops.com/2017/12/is-...weve-been.html









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      12-08-2017, 11:06 AM   #34
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Is anyone really excited about a rotary? They are not exactly reliable.
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      12-08-2017, 11:22 AM   #35
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Never_Enough View Post
Is anyone really excited about a rotary? They are not exactly reliable.
It's funny, but my dad had an FD until this year. Totally stock, 130k trouble free miles. I'd consider one if they can get the oil consumption issues at least reduced from RX8 levels.
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      12-08-2017, 11:39 AM   #36
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Never_Enough View Post
Is anyone really excited about a rotary? They are not exactly reliable.
Had mine with 64k miles on it before i sold it for my F36. Modded quite nicely too. Had so much fun with that car and it actually made me sad to see her go .



I'd be excited for a new rotary, but all the risk of the RX8 just means that the next gen is going to have to be marketed towards a niche market, meaning higher prices.
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      12-08-2017, 02:27 PM   #37
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Originally Posted by paimon.soror View Post
Had mine with 64k miles on it before i sold it for my F36. Modded quite nicely too. Had so much fun with that car and it actually made me sad to see her go .



I'd be excited for a new rotary, but all the risk of the RX8 just means that the next gen is going to have to be marketed towards a niche market, meaning higher prices.
What did you do to it? I just could not get into the RX-8. I test drove a couple when they came out. I think no torque was part of it. Love Mazda, though. On my 2nd Speed6 & shopping for my 3rd Miata.
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      12-08-2017, 02:40 PM   #38
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Never_Enough View Post
What did you do to it? I just could not get into the RX-8. I test drove a couple when they came out. I think no torque was part of it. Love Mazda, though. On my 2nd Speed6 & shopping for my 3rd Miata.
Not a shameless plug, just easier than typing: http://www.normalexception.net/index...ts/my-2010-rx8

Honestly i came from a 2001 Honda Civic coupe, so although it had no torque, it was FAR more refined lol. If i had my pick of the litter, an 89 Turbo 2 brings back the most nostalgia from my childhood (a good friend had one). Wouldn't complain if an FD landed in my lap though
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      12-08-2017, 02:52 PM   #39
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Originally Posted by paimon.soror View Post
Not a shameless plug, just easier than typing: http://www.normalexception.net/index...ts/my-2010-rx8

Honestly i came from a 2001 Honda Civic coupe, so although it had no torque, it was FAR more refined lol. If i had my pick of the litter, an 89 Turbo 2 brings back the most nostalgia from my childhood (a good friend had one). Wouldn't complain if an FD landed in my lap though
I bet she handled well. I'll take an LS swapped FD.
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      12-08-2017, 03:25 PM   #40
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As a former RX-7 owner myself, I would love to get another rotary one day. But how do we know this is a test mule and not just some random bloke's actual RX-8 that he threw a body kit on?
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      12-08-2017, 03:39 PM   #41
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How do we know that RX8 is anything special? Or even owned by Mazda? To me it looks like a modified RX8 out for a day at the track, but I don't see anything that screams "test mule". It could be, but it also could just be a random track guy. Full cage interior without a helmet though :/

I still remember the rumors from long ago about the 1.6l rotary that was supposed to follow the 13B, dubbed 16X. Then the RX-Vision concept came out, my hopes were high, but doesn't seem like anything concrete yet. Then again, RX-Evolv was 1999, RX8 came out in 2003 - 4 years after the concept was launched. Mazda RX-Vision concept was 2015, 4 years from that is 2019, also the 60th anniversary of the rotary... may the dream live on!

Check out this article regarding Mazda's ideals about turbo charged performance Vs their skyactiv technology, from two powertrain engineers at MNAO. They ask about the rotary too because, well, obligatory. http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars...-la-auto-show/

"Yamane told us Mazda employs a team of fewer than 20 on rotary engine development, with no concrete plans to bring it back into production. Chen points out that Mazda is a small company, so it has to focus its limited resources on the Skyactiv family."

Only time will tell!
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      12-08-2017, 07:47 PM   #42
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tiltmode43 View Post
How do we know that RX8 is anything special? Or even owned by Mazda? To me it looks like a modified RX8 out for a day at the track, but I don't see anything that screams "test mule". It could be, but it also could just be a random track guy. Full cage interior without a helmet though :/

I still remember the rumors from long ago about the 1.6l rotary that was supposed to follow the 13B, dubbed 16X. Then the RX-Vision concept came out, my hopes were high, but doesn't seem like anything concrete yet. Then again, RX-Evolv was 1999, RX8 came out in 2003 - 4 years after the concept was launched. Mazda RX-Vision concept was 2015, 4 years from that is 2019, also the 60th anniversary of the rotary... may the dream live on!

Check out this article regarding Mazda's ideals about turbo charged performance Vs their skyactiv technology, from two powertrain engineers at MNAO. They ask about the rotary too because, well, obligatory. http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars...-la-auto-show/

"Yamane told us Mazda employs a team of fewer than 20 on rotary engine development, with no concrete plans to bring it back into production. Chen points out that Mazda is a small company, so it has to focus its limited resources on the Skyactiv family."

Only time will tell!
tilttttttt.....hey now how did you end up over here from the 8club! I think its some sort of natural evolution for us 8 guys to go to BMWs afterwards.
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      12-08-2017, 10:15 PM   #43
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The stickers on the front windshield are the same as what other manufacturers display on their mules and prototypes.
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      12-08-2017, 10:40 PM   #44
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When I was in high school and just after I had an RX-7. Went through 2 engines, 3 clutches and two transmissions. Funnest car I ever had. If you have never experienced rotary engines and the revving fun they offer then you are missing out.
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