With the addition of its new SkyActiv technology, Mazda has committed itself to fuel economy. This move was expected to render the rotary engine obsolete but Mazda has responded to reports of the engine’s demise and are confirming that production continues on the next breed of rotary.
Mazda’s RX-8 was the last model to use the rotary engine and after its production ended, many thought that would be it for the rotary. And with the recent surge and growing popularity of SkyActiv, this seemed all but certain.
But Mazda has claimed they have figured how to create a more fuel efficient rotary engine to keep up with SkyActiv, something that needed to be done in order for the former to survive.
In a recent report Mazda states that “while the majority of the company’s engineering resources are focused on the development of our revolutionary SkyActiv technology, work does continue on the next-generation rotary.”
One advantage of rotary engines is that they are easily adaptable to run on fuels other than gasoline and Mazda has not counted out this possibility saying that “additionally, work continues on the use of fuels other than gasoline, taking advantage of the rotary’s unique ability to operate on multiple fuels without extensive reengineering.”
Whatever the case may be, it appears that reports of the rotary engine’s funeral were greatly exaggerated and that it will live on and continue to be used by Mazda.
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