Rotary officially returns as range extender for Mazda MX-30

The official announcement made earlier this week, Mazda has taken the covers off of its first rotary-powered model in almost eleven years at the Brussels Motor Show, the MX-30 R-EV.

Rotary with a difference

A setup completely different from those used in the RX-7 and RX-8, the small capacity 830 cc single-rotor doesn’t directly drive the front wheels, but, similar to Nissan’s e-Power, acts as a type of generator for the reduced capacity 17.8-kWh battery pack.

Positioned next to the pack itself, the inclusion of the rotary also sees the MX-30 gaining a fuel tank of 50-litres to create what Mazda calls, a unique plug-in hybrid as the unit produces 55 kW on its own while allowing for a range of 85 km.

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Range(d)-up

In addition to addressing a point of criticism attributed to the MX-30 not being the success Mazda had expected, the range extender has boosted the overall range from the EV’s 200 km to a more substantial 600 km.

Still limited to 140 km/h and now able to get from 0-100 km/h in 9.1 seconds instead of 9.7 seconds, charging the MX-30 R-EV’s smaller battery takes one hour 40 minutes when using an 11 kW wallbox, or 25 minutes plugged into a DC fast charger.

Edition R

While aesthetically unchanged from the EV MX-30, sans the new rotary logos on the front wings and the e-SkyActiv R badge on the bootlid, a new limited run Edition R model has been introduced with a two-tone Jet Black and Maroon Rouge exterior as a way of paying homage to the R360 that debuted the Mazda name in 1960.

Capped at 400 units, the R’s unique interior accommodations include a single white stitch line of 2.6 mm, the same size as the rotary’s apex seal grooves, the rotary badged embroidered into the front headrests, a rotary symbol on the floor mats and a monogram of the apex seals on the key fob.

A no-no for now

Priced from £31 250 (R642 011) in the United Kingdom for the entry-level Executive-Line, the same as the all-electric Prime-Line that kicks the range off, the MX-30 R-EV, at present, has not been earmarked by Mazda for South Africa anytime soon.