It isn’t yet canceled, but it is at least partially.
Turn away from those who have fallen in love with Mazda’s proprietary rotary engine. According to the Japanese automaker, the MX-30’s rotary engine will not be used as a range extender by the MX-30 in the first half 2022 . This was confirmed. According to Automotive News Masahiro Sakata, a Mazda spokesperson said that they are still looking at using a rotary engine for range extension, but that it is not clear when.
Mazda North America confirmed this year that the MX-30 and the rotary engine range extender would be coming to the US. American fans who are eager to see this new development might need to wait a little longer. This is a little bit uncertain, however. According to Japanese media, Mazda has dropped the rotary engine range extender entirely because it required a larger battery. This made the vehicle too costly. Mazda’s rotary engine will continue to be available, but it will now serve as power-assist technology in series and plug-in hybrids. Mazda can reduce the battery’s size and thus lower the cost, but it will still be used more often.
Automotive News also reported that plug-ins and series hybrids with rotary engines would be revealed sometime between 2022-2025. However, the engines will not be used to power the wheels directly but instead act as generators in the same way Nissan’s self-charging electric e-Power works. After receiving so much attention over the past two-years, Mazda’s plans to revive the rotary engine have become blurry. We can take some comfort knowing that the project is still on the horizon, but it’s still being considered.