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Rumor: Mazda’s Next Generation Rotary Engine Will Be Turbocharged

By Paulo Acoba

Mazda Motor displays the rotary sports concept, the Mazda RX-Vision at Tokyo Auto Salon 2016 at Makuhari Messe in Chiba on January 15, 2016. The exhibition, which is one of the largest annual custom car and car-related product shows, is being held from January 15 to January 17. AFP PHOTO / KAZUHIRO NOGI / AFP / KAZUHIRO NOGI (Photo credit should read KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP/Getty Images)
Mazda Motor displays the rotary sports concept, the Mazda RX-Vision at Tokyo Auto Salon 2016 at Makuhari Messe in Chiba on January 15, 2016. The exhibition, which is one of the largest annual custom car and car-related product shows, is being held from January 15 to January 17. AFP PHOTO / KAZUHIRO NOGI / AFP / KAZUHIRO NOGI (Photo credit should read KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP/Getty Images) /
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Mazda’s powertrain and drivetrain assistant manager hinted that Mazda’s next Rotary engine might be going forced induction instead of naturally aspirated. 

With the introduction of the RX-Vision concept, Mazda reaffirmed its commitment to the front-engine RWD platform and more importantly, to the rotary engine. According to our Australian Motoring friends over at Motoring.com.au on their exclusive impromptu interview earlier this Monday, it looks like Mazda might be leaning heavily towards turbocharging their rotary powerplant with a reveal in the very near future.

Mazda Motor displays the rotary sports concept, the Mazda RX-Vision at Tokyo Auto Salon 2016 at Makuhari Messe in Chiba on January 15, 2016. The exhibition, which is one of the largest annual custom car and car-related product shows, is being held from January 15 to January 17. AFP PHOTO / KAZUHIRO NOGI / AFP / KAZUHIRO NOGI (Photo credit should read KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP/Getty Images)
Mazda Motor displays the rotary sports concept, the Mazda RX-Vision at Tokyo Auto Salon 2016 at Makuhari Messe in Chiba on January 15, 2016. The exhibition, which is one of the largest annual custom car and car-related product shows, is being held from January 15 to January 17. AFP PHOTO / KAZUHIRO NOGI / AFP / KAZUHIRO NOGI (Photo credit should read KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP/Getty Images) /

According to Tetsuchi Marutani, Mazda’s powertrain and drivetrain assistant manager

"“Personally, I think that a rotary with some turbo or compressor would be good.Because a rotary, in my opinion, they require more [torque at] low speed, low down torque. So if we have some small compressor or turbo it would help. I used to have a second-generation RX-7, and it was very quick”"

Although no other details about the next generation Mazda Rotary engine were revealed, Tetsuchi did confirm that there would be a big announcement involving the RX-Vision concept by 2017 or 2020 (which coincides with the 50th anniversary of the rotary engine or the 100th anniversary of the company.)

We think that Mazda will reveal their new turbo design next year with concrete plans to unveil a successor to the Mazda RX-8 by 2019 (for a model year 2020 production.)

It’s widely understood that the main disadvantages to a rotary engine are poor fuel economy and lack of torque. The current technology favors turbocharging small displacement engines and supplementing power with hybrid technology. By 2020, hybrid technology will have grown leaps and bounds as lithium-ion batteries become cheaper and can carry more energy potential.

Next: Rumor: Mazda RX-9 Rotary Engine Coming in 2017

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Couple that with a small turbocharger to a rotary engine and you have a recipe for a high-horsepower next generation RX-9 with enough torque to hang with the big dogs.

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