We love a good engine here at Top Gear towers, especially good engines from Mazda. To be more specific, rotary engines from Mazda. Today, the company has confirmed it will – finally – return to the configuration it made famous via the likes of the RX-7 and 787B: it will build a rotary engine!
It will not however, be on its own. It’s being rolled out as part of an electric drivetrain; a range extender to recharge an EV’s battery on longer runs. Yeah, sorry about getting you all excited.
Mazda intends on building two battery-powered electric cars, the latter pairing up with the new engine. We’re told the new rotary – able to run on LPG – will be small, light and “exceptionally quiet”. Oh dear, this isn’t going well.
Still, it’s a rotary. It forms part of Mazda’s plan to have 95 per cent of its cars electrified in some form by 2030, along with squeezing out ever more innovation from the humble internal combustion engine.
And yet. Mazda signs off with a note that while its EV offering – including the range-extender – will conform to environmental regulations, it will also have to fulfil the company’s plan to make good driver’s cars.
Hope is kindled, people of the internet. Now, step two is really quite simple: RX Vision Coupe, 800bhp rotary/EV power, rear-wheel drive, boom. We have used said RX Vision as illustration because looking at it makes everything all nice and lovely.
