Mazda will build it.
Since Mazda last produced a rotary-powered vehicle, it’s been almost a decade. It was the RX-8, which it discontinued production in 2012. Rumours of a successor to the RX-8 have been floating around since then. However, none has materialized. Mazda did confirm that the engine would be back in 2019, but as an extension of the range for the 2022 electric crossover.
Mazda continues to push for rotary power in some way. A patent this time suggests something more than an extender for a small electric crossover. Mazda’s latest filing suggests it is considering a hybrid rear-wheel-drive, rotary-powered vehicle with hybrid technology.
This is not the first time that Mazda has patented a hybrid-hybrid system. The company applied for a vehicle that had both a combustion engine as well as an electric motor a few years back. It also indicated that the vehicle can be paired up with a rotary powerplant. The patent clearly shows that the vehicle has a rotary engine at its front. The vehicle will also use a three-rotor arrangement. This arrangement was last used by Mazda with its Cosmo coupe in the early ’90s. It could have been based on Mazda’s new rear-wheel drive platform, given its layout.
Patents come with a caveat. A manufacturer filing for a patent does not mean that it will follow through with its ideas. Mazda’s patents prove that it isn’t willing to stop developing the engine. Another patent filed in August 2021 revealed what looked like a rear section of a coupe. It is not clear if this is the RX-Vision production concept from 2015. However, it fuels the rumor of a rotary coupe.