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Mazda Will Continue to Develop Rotary Engine

Developed by Felix Wankel, the piston-less rotary engine was an innovativeengine layout. Compared to equivalently powerful piston-powered engines, it was smaller, lighter and vastly less complex. After significant investment from the first automaker to adapt rotary engines, NSU (exactly 38 years ago today it merged with Auto Union to become Audi NSU Auto Union AG, and 20 years ago this month, with the last NSU rolling off the line, simply Audi), and then others that dabbled with the technology, such as Mercedes-Benz and General Motors, the only manufacturer to continue production of rotary engines has been Mazda.

However, there has been a fair amount of speculation that, due to low demand and high development costs, Mazda might abandon the rotary in the end. After all, it only builds one rotary-powered car, the RX-8,

Mazda is investing big money in hydrogen power; it's keeping the rotary alive with this project. (Photo: Mazda)

which is hardly a role-model business case for profitability in the modern age of maximizing economies of scale. For a short period of time, between 2002 and 2003, the time period between the demise of the Japanese-market RX-7 and the launch of the new RX-8, Mazda did not produce a car with a rotary powered engine. To clear any doubts about the demise of the rotary, Mazda has just announced that it will be developing a new generation of RENESIS rotary engine, slated to arrive in 2010.

When it was launched in 2003, the RENESIS engine marked a giant step forward in rotary engine technology. Mazda had

The RX-8 is the only car currently in production to use rotary power. (Photo: Mazda)

developed ways to get around the emissions issues by relocating the intake and exhaust ports, which allowed the RX-8 to surpass European and US emissions standards. Mazda also used the rotary engine as a platform for its hydrogen program; it currently uses adapted versions of the RENESIS engine for hybrid-powered Mazda Premacies (the equal to the Mazda5), and Mazda RX-8s.

Earlier this week, Mazda unveiled the second generation RENESIS rotary at a business conference in Tokyo, Japan. The primary goals that Mazda set out for the new engine are to further reduce emissions output, increase efficiency, but most importantly reduce fuel consumption. The tiny 1.3-liter rotary engine in the RX-8produces 232 horsepower and 159 lb-ft of torque, but, consumes 18 mpg in the city and 24 mpg on the highway. That's more fuel and significantly

As far as cars go, the only automaker to still use the rotary engine is Mazda with their RENESIS engine. (Photo: Mazda)

less power than what Nissan's 350Z consumes and produces.

Mazda also has plans to develop a brand new rotary engine specifically for its hydrogen program. Not much is known about this powerplant, but Mazda's goals are to have it produce equivalent power to a 3.0-liter V6 engine, while having a range of 250 miles between fill-ups.

Though the hot topic of the conference was the rotary engine, Mazda also displayed its plans for upcoming conventional gasoline and diesel engines. For its regular gasoline engines, Mazda's goal is to improve performance by between 15- and 25-percent, while reducing fuel consumption by 20-percent. As for its diesel engines, Mazda wants to cut tailpipe and CO2 emissions down to levels where it can meet the Euro6 and the strict US emissions standards, demonstrating that the brand wants to enter a diesel vehicle in the North American market. Finally, Mazda will also be unveiling the second generation Mazda6, which will most likely take place at this year's Tokyo auto show.

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