- Mazda’s CEO says the company is “very close” to finishing a twin-rotary engine that can meet strict emissions regulations
- Two rotors will make the engine powerful enough for U.S. buyer preferences
- Its first appearance could potentially be in a range-extended electric sports car
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Enthusiasts fondly remember Mazda’s rotary engines, but they weren’t without their issues. Mazda never entirely gave up on them, though, and now there’s word that a dual-rotor engine is on its way to becoming a reality. That’s the word from Masahiro Moro, Mazda’s CEO, who told Automotive News that “we are very close” to a rotary engine that can meet strict emissions regulations.
He added that, “If we are thinking about the U.S. market, one rotor is not enough. Two rotors are needed to generate more power, which is more suitable to U.S. market characteristics.”
The two rotors are on one shaft, but each spins separately in its own chamber. He added that more power is necessary because “we need to generate more electricity.” And that brings us to the Iconic SP concept.
Unveiled in Japan a little over a year ago, the Iconic SP has a compact, twin-rotary engine under its slinky hood. It doesn’t drive the wheels, though. Instead, the Iconic SP is electric, and that gas engine is meant to work as a range-extending generator to charge the batteries.
And now Mazda has recently hinted that the Iconic SP could become a production car “in the not-so-distant future,” which would likely mean with that powertrain. We were supposed to get the all-electric MX-30 with a rotary-engine range extender here in Canada, but while that engine is added to it in some global markets, it ultimately never made it to the MX-30 sold here. But really, send us the Iconic SP, and all is forgiven!
Rotary engines are inherently inefficient, with poor thermal efficiency and unburned fuel that makes it into the exhaust. Moro admitted that getting one to meet stringent tailpipe regulations “is going to be a significant challenge,” but that the company has “tested with the single rotor,” and a second rotor is the next step.
That inefficiency also makes them thirstier than conventional engines; but if Mazda’s innovations into emissions don’t also have a side effect of improvements at the pumps, a thirstier engine that’s only meant as a range extender to an electric driveline likely won’t be much of an issue for drivers.
Mazda’s also getting into hybrids, and has filed patents for potential drivelines that use rotary engines as part of a gas-electric hybrid system, including where the engine directly drives the rear wheels. A more powerful rotary engine, combined with an electric hybrid boost, could be quite the ticket, too. Mazda’s always been committed to rotary engines, even if they haven’t always been runaway commercial successes, and we’re waiting to see what the next chapter of this rotating engine will bring.
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