Mazda and Rotary fans the world over have been clamoring around rumors of a new Renesis Wankel that may revive America’s love for the Rotary. And they just might have RX-8 designer Ikuo Maeda to thank for it.
Ikuo Maeda has had a long history with the Mazda rotary engine, first heading up the Design Strategic Studio at Mazda HQ in Hiroshima Japan. Maeda-san carryied over to work on the Mazda FC and FD through several roles in Mazda North America’s operations. He recently rejoined the Mazda ranks, rejoining the Japanese automaker as Chief Designer after spending some time under the Ford Design Studio in 1999 and 2000.
Replacing Laurens van den Acker as design lead, the sign showed that Mazda may be returning to the sports car market but could it really bring back the RX? According to Ikuo, Mazda will be doing just that with the rumored Mazda RX-9. Leading the charge behind the Mazda RX-8 which enjoyed mixed results, Ikuo Maeda nonetheless recently reaffirmed his belief in the curious rotary claiming to “never give up” on a new RX. And he just might have the next sporty Mazda RX, the question is can it compete with a sure-to-be crowded sports car segment?
According to a new report by Motoring, this Mazda RX-9 concept may not see production until sometime in late 2020 although many are saying do not count out 2017. Could this sporty coupe capture a significant segment of performance orientated shoppers considering the steep competition?
“We want to surprise everyone in 2017 with something special to celebrate the birth of the rotary,” Seita Kanai said, Mazda’s Senior Executive Officer of Research and Design “Then, to celebrate the company’s 100th birthday, we want to take it to another level in 2020.”
Rumors have this sports coupe putting down 450 horsepower, fed through a twin rotor 16x Renesis engine. The new engine is similar in design and improvements as the RX-8 power plant, but with more of the technical issues sure to be sorted out before release. Part of the RX-8’s struggles were due to the incorrect and grossly misquoted horsepower numbers and subpar performance in real world applications.
This improved 13B Wankel needs to deliver on the promises of true direct injection, increased torque, and higher displacement and more importantly deliver where it needs to. After redesigning the new Mazda2, Mazda hopefully knows how and why the RX-8 didn’t succeed and what it needs to change for the RX-9 to. And true to form, early reports and comments elude just to that very fact as Motoring.com has also cited it’s source saying that the 450hp target was lofty and could be problematic.
Rumors of a twin stage sequential turbo system that could include an electric motor providing the low rpm boost are abound, but as always with a Wankel the reliability has got to be there. And in a fitting case of poetic timing, Mazda fans will recognize the 2017 release date as the 50th anniversary of the Mazda Cosmo. Read more about the Mazda Cosmo and the Wankel Rotary engine in our FAQ – What is the 13B?
What do you think about the new Mazda RX-9? Did you like the RX-8? What’s your favorite Wankel? Leave us a comment below and let us know!