Rumors of a Mazda rotary engine revival are swirling again, this time with speculation that a new powertrain for an upcoming sports car could be powered by the iconic engine.
Mazda recently introduced a concept rotary hybrid engine when the automaker announced commitment to internal combustion engines along with Toyota and Subaru, although it is widely believed that the engine itself will only be used as a range extender as seen in the Mazda MX-30 SUV abroad.
In describing its twin-rotor concept, Mazda said two vertically mounted rotary motors would generate power and be able to draw power from a larger battery, effectively acting as a range extender rather than as direct drive to the wheels.
Now, Japanese store Best car website Mazda reportedly successfully filed a patent for a new “vehicle powertrain” in June, which is a complex setup that could potentially use a rotating motor to charge a battery. And thrust
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Working with the limitations of English translation Best car website The Japanese article describes the car’s powertrain as a complex system that features a “mild hybrid using [a rotary engine] to create thrust”.
This publication outlines a rotary drive motor placed behind the front axle, whose power would be transmitted to the rear wheels without the need for a traditional flywheel.
Instead, a 25kW electric motor is coupled directly to the rotary engine without a clutch mechanism, with the assumption that the motor can replace the flywheel in driving the rotary engine.
A battery pack will be placed behind the two seats of the car, behind which is the fuel tank.
The gearbox and driveshaft are said to be located on the rear axle, which can be operated by a “driveshaft” like in an automated manual transmission or used like a traditional manual transmission.
In addition to the drivetrain provided by the rotary engine, the car can also be equipped with a 17kW in-wheel motor on the front axle.
The fuel supply is said to be controlled via a switch, allowing the car to run on electric power alone. It will also be capable of crank-only driving, in which the power from the engine to the electric motor will be cut off.
It’s not yet clear how the powertrain will be set up, but it’s said the car could be all-wheel drive in mild hybrid mode, front-wheel drive in electric-only mode, and rear-wheel drive when using only the rotary engine.
Best car website suggests battery-only driving will be short, although mild hybrid technology will help with city driving with stop-start functionality. It will also reduce noise in residential areas.
It has been reported The twin-rotor engine is being “considered for use in a sports car”, most likely a production version of the RX-7 inspired by The iconic SP concept seen at last year’s Tokyo Motor Show.
When the concept was unveiled in October 2023, Mazda said the car would feature a dual-rotor EV system that could charge an onboard battery to power the electric motor when the battery pack was depleted.
At the time, Mazda said the Iconic SP could produce up to 285kW of power, weighed 1450kg and had a 50:50 weight distribution for ideally balanced handling.
It’s not yet clear how the potential production version might perform in any hypothetical driving mode, although reports suggest the model could debut as early as 2026.
THAN: The Mazda Iconic SP is a stunning, rotary-powered vision of the future.
THAN: Mazda’s rotary car revival moves closer to reality
