Mazda reinstates development of rotary engines

1 February 2024

Mazda Motor Corporation announced it will accelerate its research and development of rotary engines (RE) that are adapted to the “new era” in mobility technologies.

The ‘RE Development Group’ has been reinstated in the Powertrain Technology Development Department of Mazda’s Powertrain Development Division on February 1, 2024. The new RE Development Group will continue to evolve RE used as generators, and will conduct R&D in areas such as regulatory compliance in major markets as well as the application of carbon-neutral fuels.

The rotary engine, also known as the Wankel engine, is an engine with a unique structure that generates power by rotating a triangular rotor. Mazda—the only automobile manufacturer to mass-produce rotary engines—first installed the technology in the Cosmo Sport introduced in 1967. The company discontinued their RE models in 2012, when it ended production of the Mazda RX-8.

In June 2023, Mazda resumed mass production of vehicles with rotary engines, launching the Mazda MX-30 e-SKYACTIV R-EV (available in Japan and Europe) that uses a rotary engine as a range extender.

Source: Mazda