Rotary dream still alive as Mazda confirms time is ticking for all-new RX

Having thrown its support behind diesel and rotary engines earlier this month, Mazda has taken another step forward in reviving a peripheral ported successor for the RX-8 with the brand’s Global Head of Design confirming that the rotary “is still our dream”.

While it was reported, without much fanfare, that the all-electric MX-30 that bowed at the Tokyo Motor Show last week will be offered with a range extending rotary engine, Ikea Maeda revealed that Hiroshima is in “a race against time” to make the new sports car a reality.

“It’s a difficult question but we never give up on that dream. It’s [been] too long. I understand the clock is ticking and the environment can change. We have to see if the future environment will accept a sports car with open arms. So we understand we are racing against time,” Maeda told whichcar.com.au at the Tokyo showpiece.

In the pipeline ever since the RX Vision concept (pictured) debuted in Tokyo four years ago, and on the back of recent reports showing leaked rotary patent documents and sightings of RX-8s at the Nürburgring, Maeda admitted that costs play a big part in hindering the rotary’s return, but added that its enthusiasm among buyers cannot be overlooked.

‘There are still many fans of sports cars, so I think [the way forward is] understanding these voices and understanding the determination of these sports car fans, and then turning that into power to push for the new sports car,” he remarked.

He has however denied that Mazda will enter into a joint partnership with another manufacturer similar to Toyota with Subaru and BMW for the GT86/BRZ and Supra/Z4, but added that, “I think we probably need to explore various different ways to actually realise it, because what’s important is actually offering the sports car to market”.

It could therefore mean that the newcomer, slated to carry the RX-9 moniker, could ride on all-new rear-wheel-drive platform, co-developed with Toyota, that will reportedly underpin the next generation Mazda6, although nothing has yet been confirmed.

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