RX-Vision GT3

I haven’t written any blogs in a while as there hasn’t honestly been anything from Mazda, which has made me stop and go WOW. Most people who have interactions with me would have thought I would be interested in the Mazda 3 TCR. The TCR car looks great, but when I learned Mazda went with the “Spec” engine for the series, it became a “meh” for me. Having an engine that is based on more or less a VW power plant pulling a Mazda around the track made it a lot less interesting. I do know why Mazda chose to go that path, but that is another story.

The next possibe rotary — Mazda Rotary GT3 Concept Car

What did make me go WOW recently was at the Grand Turismo Championships when Mazda announced the RX-Vision GT3 concept! Mazda loves a sexy race car, and if you look at the past two, they have both come out of the Mazda North American studios. This concept is no exception as Julien Montousse, the design chief for Mazda North America, was present during the announcement of the car.

This is a big deal in my mind, we have just seen a change at Mazda USA with Nelson Cosgrove now appointed as the new director of Mazda Motorsports. Mazda has done everything except come right out and say we are going to build another rotary, and that message looks to be getting stronger. We have seen more patents popping up, calling out more tech and drawings of rotary goodness, including my favorite the top-mounted turbo rotary engine from years back.

Like anything Mazda teases us with, we will have to wait and see what happens. On a personal level, I hope Mazda gets us a 2020 Mazda 3 AWD turbo MT, but that is another one of those “wait and see” dreams from Mazda.

-Derrick

March 7, 2016

Our Wish List for Mazda’s Next Rotary

Mazda hinted that they’re going to reveal more about their latest rotary at the Geneva auto show, so now is the perfect time to come up with my wish list for the next Rx7.

Mazda is already on the right path with their SkyActiv technology to keep systems light and efficient. If they use the same strategy with a new rotary engine, we could see some exciting things.

Mazda has been talking about laser ignitions for a while now. As a current Rx7 owner, and to the rest of the rotary heads out there, you know the spark plug bills for the Rx7/Rx8 can pile up. Not having to deal with spark plugs or coil packs again would be a blessing in lower cost of ownership.

Direct injection is something I’m really looking forward to, for several reasons.

1. Lower chance of flooding out your engine in the case you go brain dead and move your Rx7 in the driveway without letting it warm up or you hold the throttle up to clear out the engine.

2. Better emissions control. This is a big one in my book when it comes to the success of a car. With DI systems, you can make sure the fuel is in the optimum location on the rotor face for the best burn and the most power from the fuel.

North America doesn’t get i-Stop technology from Mazda due to fuel-economy testing and regulations. I’m crossing my fingers Mazda brings it, or something like it, along with the rotary.

Mazda can use i-Eloop to help out the rotary’s naturally low torque by giving you a boost from a standstill and give you back some fuel economy.

Now, the million-dollar question: will it be a hybrid?

My guess is no. With the i-Eloop and i-Stop technology Mazda already has available for fuel economy and ignition improvements, adding a hybrid system doesn’t make sense. A hybrid system goes against the idea of lightweight technology and cross-platform technology sharing that Mazda has been focused on.

As if I even need to mention this, my money is on a turbo setup in the Rx7, much like the units used on the turbodiesels. The small turbo on the Sky-D engine is spooling just off idle which gives you the instant hit of torque while transitioning to the larger main turbo. It’s pretty seamless on the Sky-D. Imagine it on a rotary with the exhaust energy. It will be even better.

Any other predictions out there? Feel free to post up! I love to hear other people’s thoughts on what Mazda is hinting at for the future.

August 22, 2014December 18, 2017

What Mazda said that Will Have you Saying “Take my Money”

Real Quotes from Mazda’s Global Sales and Marketing General Manager

Once again Motoring.com.au has brought some rotary rumors to surface thanks to an interview with Yasuhiro Aoyama, the General manager of Global Sales and Marketing. So what did Yasuhiro say that is so revealing?

“this is a very fantastic idea, 2017, [for] a new rotary.”

followed by

“We celebrate the anniversary of rotary in 2017; 50 years. Then 2020 is the Olympics in Tokyo and the 100th anniversary of Mazda,”

When prodded for more info and whether we would see a halo car in 2020 he was quoted as saying: “We will defy convention”.

In order to prevent us from expanding on his words without the proper quotes let us list them all here:

“We have our own definition of sports and our own definition of how to get Jinba Ittai, the oneness between car and driver – and we do not have to necessarily compete with segments or competitors,” he said.

“We won’t follow them just for the sake of it.” [in reference to other car companies]

“We are indifferent to the successes that our rivals are making; we need to make our own success and forge our own way forward.”

And one of the quotes that I find most exciting was this:

“Lightweight is one of the core elements for our sports cars to have high performance, so all of the vehicles for the next generation will be like this,” he stated.

What could this all mean? Well that Mazda again has neither confirmed nor denied the idea of an RX-7 in 2017, and that it “is a very fantastic idea”, and that it it will definitely be a lightweight vehicle. We also know that he is hinting at something in 2020? Possibly a halo car? Possibly the RX-9 that they trademarked awhile back. (source)

Nonetheless, we are already stashing our pennies so that once we have official word, we can start yelling “Take my MONEY!”

-Spencer