At the recent 2024 Tokyo Auto Salon, Mazda Motor Corporation recently made a bold announcement. The rotary engine will be back, this time as a way for the brand to support its carbon neutrality goals. In a similar vein as Toyota, Mazda sees that tackling climate change shouldn’t just involve electric vehicles (EVs), but also the internal combustion engine (ICE) as well.
The announcement was made by Katsuhiro Moro, Mazda President and CEO, during the press conference at the 2024 TAS, which can be viewed on YouTube. The executive said that the brand will establish a dedicated team of engineers specific to the development of rotary engines, effective February 1. Apart from this announcement, not much else has been specified, though most of the remainder of the announcement has centered around the Iconic SP Concept that was unveiled at the 2023 Japan Mobility Show (formerly the Tokyo Motor Show).
“In order to break through the challenges of the carbon neutral era, rotary engine engineers who have acquired a broad technical perspective that transcends the boundaries of engine types and cutting-edge internal combustion engine technology, and who have been trained as users of model-based development, will reunite,” Moro-san said. “It is not so easy, but I hope we can take a step forward into a new chapter of insatiable challenge.”
This isn’t the first time that Mazda has toyed around the rotary engine in recent years. That’s because just last year, the Japanese automaker unveiled the MX-30 R-EV, an electric vehicle that uses a rotary engine not to power the car, but to charge the battery. In pure electric mode, the MX-30 R-EV can be driven for 85 kilometers based on WLTP testing, while the gas-fed rotary engine extends the range to a total of 630 kilometers.
However, unlike the MX-30 R-EV, the hopes for a true rotary-powered sports car is greater than ever with this announcement. And with Mazda now going all-in on its new high-performance brand called Mazda Spirit Racing, it’s a great time to be a fan of the brand.
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