UPDATE: 2020 Mazda RX-9 to be a 400hp, 2,900lb Super Coupe

[Gecko]

PRESS RELEASE

Mazda to Unveil New Sports Car Concept at Tokyo Motor Show
-- Japan-debut of Mazda KOERU and racing-spec Mazda Roadsters among fourteen models on display --

HIROSHIMA, Japan, Sept. 29, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Mazda Motor Corporation will hold the world premiere of a new sports car concept model at the 2015 Tokyo Motor Show, which runs from October 30 through November 8.*1 A total of 14 models will be on display at the Mazda stand, including crossover concept Mazda KOERU making its first appearance in Japan, two racing-spec Mazda Roadsters (known as Mazda MX-5 outside Japan) and the Cosmo Sport (110S outside Japan), first introduced in 1967.

The design of the sports car concept to be unveiled in Tokyo is modern but maintains a sense of lineage and authenticity, appearing almost to condense Mazda's entire history of sports car development into a single model.

In line with the company's theme for the Tokyo Motor Show this year, "Accelerate toward our dreams," Mazda will make an appeal for the brand's unique approach to driving pleasure. In addition to the sports car concept, Mazda KOERU will be on display along with new-generation models featuring SKYACTIV Technologies and KODO—Soul of Motion design. A motor sports exhibit will feature racing-spec Roadsters and the Cosmo Sport will complement a heritage display showing Mazda's history of convention-defying engineering.

 

[Gecko]

Processed a bit:

Those lines are mighty sexy... looking a little Jag XK in profile!

 

[IS-SV]

Wow, Mazda styling lately (meaning latest Kodo designs with full Skyactiv suite of technologies) is tops in affordable classes.

 

[mikeavelli]

Looking forward to any new Mazda's. They are on a tear!

 

[Gecko]

Mazda rumored to bring rotary-powered RX-9 concept to Tokyo

Stop us if you've heard this one before: Mazda will bring a rotary-powered sports car to the next big auto show.

Okay, so we stopped for a second, but the show must go on. Following an official teaser image (shown above) late last month, Motoring.com.au has what it claims are renderings of the curvy, two-door coupe – called the RX-9 – that Mazda will bring to the Tokyo Motor Show later this month. The images show a far softer styling than Mazda's current crop of Kodo-inspired vehicles, while the overall look screams of a modern-day Cosmo Sport, the Japanese brand's first rotary-powered vehicle.

And though that connection alone might be enough to justify whisperings of a successor to the RX-7 and RX-8, Motoringclaims there will be an even more overt sign of this concept's power source. "Look to the Cosmo Sport," an inside source told the Aussie website, signaling that the Mazda stand would feature the vintage two-door. "The Cosmo has no earthly reason for being there unless..."

The rotary rumor, if it comes true, won't exactly be what we're use to. While Motoring brings up the previously reported 16X– a 1.6-liter two-rotor – it builds on our 2013 report. According to the Aussies, the new engine could feature a two-stage electric turbocharger, be paired with a hybrid powertrain, offer up to 450 horsepower, and we're guessing, be hilariously complicated. Joking aside, it sounds like Mazda's goals here are admirable. A rotary-equipped sports car that could counter the 1.3-liter RX-8 engine's appetite for fuel and improve on its mediocre low and mid-range torque would be interesting indeed.

As for those renderings, Motoring has front and rear three-quarter images. Comparing the rear with our original teaser leaves the look open to interpretation, but after seriously upping the exposure on the teaser (thanks Photoshop), the taillights and overall profile shape look to be a spot-on match. In front, the long hood shares some Kodo elements, like the headlights and grille, but its undeniable coupe shape – a long hood and very short deck – are far more organic and, dare we say, calm, than Mazda's other vehicles.

You can take a closer look at the renderings over at Motoring's website. Do that, and then head back and let us know what you think of these RX-9 rumors. Is Mazda finally going to be bringing a rotary back to market?

Source: http://www.autoblog.com/2015/10/16/mazda-rotary-rx-9-concept-tokyo/

 

[mmcartalk]

A rotary-equipped sports car that could counter the 1.3-liter RX-8 engine's appetite for fuel and improve on its mediocre low and mid-range torque would be interesting indeed.

Previous rotaries have not only had an appetite for fuel (partly because the spark plugs fire with every complete rotation of the spinning rotor, rather then on every other cycle like a 4-stroke engine), but also an appetite for oil as well. That is because the rotor apex tip-seals (the equivalent of piston rings in a piston engine) spin around inside the chamber, pick up lubricating oil from the intakes, and carry the film of oil around to the combustion chamber when the plugs fire, necessating at least some oil use (and making it harder for the catalyst to clean up the exhaust). RX-7 and RX-8 owners have long since (with reason) learned to carry an extra bottle or two of oil with them, particularly on long trips.

 

[Och]

Previous rotaries have not only had an appetite for fuel (partly because the spark plugs fire with every complete rotation of the spinning rotor, rather then on every other cycle like a 4-stroke engine), but also an appetite for oil as well. That is because the rotor apex tip-seals (the equivalent of piston rings in a piston engine) spin around inside the chamber, pick up lubricating oil from the intakes, and carry the film of oil around to the combustion chamber when the plugs fire, necessating at least some oil use (and making it harder for the catalyst to clean up the exhaust). RX-7 and RX-8 owners have long since (with reason) learned to carry an extra bottle or two of oil with them, particularly on long trips.

It would be interesting to see if Mazda builds a direct injected rotary engine. Since it has no valvetrain, it won't be subject to all the carbon issues that everyone else seems to have.

 

[mikeavelli]

I hope if it happens its near production and not another 5 years away....

 

[Gecko]

Mazda poured fuel on the white-hot rumors of an RX-8 successor with the RX-Vision earlier this year. The long, low rotary-powered coupe was lovely, but as we reported, it wasn't going to happen. But now, there's another chapter in the RX rumormill, and like overnight parts, it's from Japan.

Japanese site Holiday Auto claims that Mazda will debut the so-called RX-9 at the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show. But before that happens, the Zoom-Zoom company will preview the production model with a concept at next year's Tokyo Motor Show. 2017 is important, marking 50 years since Felix Wankel had the screwy idea for his eponymous engine and 40 years after the company's first rotary powered car, the Cosmo, hit the market.

Exciting as Holiday Auto's report is, the stats on this long-rumored car are better – via Google Translate, the Japanese site claims the RX-9 will use a 1.6-liter, two-rotor Wankel with a single turbocharger. It's good for around 400 horsepower. Holiday Auto isn't exaggerating when it claims the car could have "bike-like acceleration." As with other Mazda products, a low curb weight is key, which is why engineers are targeting a meager 1,300 kilograms (2,866 pounds) for the production model – that weight should be pretty evenly split, too, thanks to a rear transaxle. So yes, the RX-9 will be stupid fast and extremely agile. But it will come at a cost.

And by cost, we mean that the RX-9 will start just south of eight million yen. That's $79,641 at today's rates, or enough to purchase about 2.5 RX-8 R3s, the hardcore handling trim of Mazda's last-gen rotary car. And if Mazda follows Nissan's GT-R pricing model, we'll see a six-figure RX-9 by 2025.

When it comes to Mazda rotary rumors, grains of salt are a must. That's doubly true when we're talking about a possible concept that won't debut for over a year. But with the RX-Vision, Mazda showed that it hasn't abandoned rotary power, and with 2017 marking a big anniversary for the technology, it seems unlikely that the company will let the date pass without some acknowledgement. A concept car seems like a solid bet.

Source: http://www.autoblog.com/2016/08/24/mazda-rx-9-coupe-concept-tokyo-report/#slide-3679296


Hey Toyota - wheres your Supra?!

 

[mikeavelli]

I don't know if Mazda has a big enough base to sell an 80k car.....

 

[mmcartalk]

I don't know if Mazda has a big enough base to sell an 80k car.....

Agreed, but I'm not sure it's just the base...........Nissan managed to sell its Skyline/GT-R, though it is admittedly a somewhat larger company. One of the potential problems selling any rotary-engine car, though, is the natural resistance that some buyers, having been dogged with poor the poor reliability and high consumption of both gas and oil on previous ones, may yet have to purchasing another one. The notorious tendency to consume fluids (gas, because of the almost-constant power-strokes, and oil, because of the way the rotary apex-tip seals spin around in the chamber and expose their lubricating oil to the combustion process), along with Mazda's tendency to charge high prices for rotary-parts such a spark-plugs, turned off a number of buyers. Mazda could charge the prices it did, of course, for rotary parts because of a near-monoploy and lack of competition....few aftermarket companies handled them. The emissions level of a typical rotary, because of its oil-burning tendencies, also requires expensive, super-efficient catalytic converters and other exhaust-system parts to get it to pass EPA and/or CARB tests. Finally, unless they have turbos like the last production RX-7 did, rotaries seem to have the low-RPM torque level of a hamster.......like the old Honda VTEC fours, they had to be revved to motorcycle RPMs to get any significant response. Fortunately, the basic design of a rotary allows those RPMs to be quite smooth.

I'm not saying that this will necessarily doom future sales...modern computers and engineering have overcome a number of automotive gremlins. But the rotary engine, in particular, has been especially difficult to perfect.

 

[meth.ix]

Will the 400 hp Zoom-Zoom beat the 400 hp next-gen Supra?

 

[supra93]

Mazda RX-9 Could Get Aston Martin-Esque Doors

The Mazda RX-9, if it ever happens, could arrive on the market with doors very similar to those used throughout the Aston Martin range.

In patents filed to the US Patent & Trademark Office, Mazda has designed swan wing doors which open out and pivot up by 15 degrees. By comparison, Aston Martin’s doors tilt up by 12 degrees.

Although the doors aren’t revolutionary, they would add a point of difference to a new RX-badged Mazda if the vehicle is ever given the thumbs up for production.

Rumors of a Mazda RX-9 have been swirling for over three years but the automaker has yet to confirm or totally deny the prospect of a new rotary-powered sports car. Instead, Mazda has kept up the hope of its fans by saying work is being done on a new rotary engine and that it could be on the cusp of returning.

Will all of these rumors prove true or false? It’s difficult to say at this stage but there is certainly hope within Mazda that the RX-9 could see the light of day.

http://www.carscoops.com/2017/08/mazda-rx-9-could-get-aston-martin-esque.html

 

[supra93]

Mazda Patent Shows Rear Wing That Hides Above Taillights

Mazda has patented an intriguing retractable rear wing which rather than simply folding away into the decklid, instead nestles its way into an open space above the taillights.
RX-Vision Concept.

Typically, the foldable rear wings of sports cars sit between the taillights and therefore fail to stretch the entire width of the rear decklid. However, Mazda’s novel solution means the wing matches the width of the car’s rear and is almost impossible to notice when it’s not deployed.

The automaker also mentions in the patent that the presence of the intriguing wing would help reduce turbulence at the vehicle’s rear while also improving downforce when deployed.

While it’s impossible to know if Mazda intends on bringing the wing to production, it would be perfect for its next-generation rotary sports car.

http://www.carscoops.com/2017/10/mazda-patent-shows-rear-wing-that-hides.html

 

[mikeavelli]

They could be designing exotics.... well done.

 

[mmcartalk]

While an interesting concept, outside of the German Autobahns, though, there probably are not very many places on public roads where people will be driving at speeds where wings like that will have any real effectiveness.

 

[supra93]

Mazda Spied Testing RX-8 Powertrain Mule For Possible RX-9

Several radiators and scoops are necessary to keep this machine running cool.

Mazda maintains a small group of engineers specifically for rotary engine development. A new batch of spy photos reveal a hacked up RX-8 near the Nürburgring, and it's likely a test mule for this team's latest powertrain work. If the company can make a business case for the vehicle, this new Wankel might actually be available to the public in a few years.

This test mule reveals little about the powertrain, though. Cooling appears to be a major concern. Big radiators sit behind the intakes in the front fascia. Scoops in the center likely direct cool air to other parts of the engine bay, too. Whatever powers this RX-8 apparently runs quite hot.

Mazda's team have been working on a new rotary under the development name Skyactiv-R. A patent suggests that it might have a layout that flips the old Renesis engine by 180 degrees, which would move the exhaust ports to the top. This would allow shorter piping to a top-mount turbocharger, which should decrease lag. An electrically powered compressor is also a possibility. In total, the new Wankel could have an output around 400 horsepower (298 kilowatts).

Before getting to excited about an RX-9, understand that it wouldn't hit the road for several years – if at all. A recent report indicates that there's no room in Mazda's budget for a rotary-power sports coupe until 2020 at the soonest.

The Japanese automaker isn't ready to give up on the design yet. In 2016, the company excited enthusiasts by revealing the RX-Vision concept (above) that imagined a modern rotary-powered coupe that looked like a natural successor to the RX-7.

For its compact physical size, the Wankel engine makes fantastic power. Plus, they love to rev. These are great attributes for powering a lightweight sports car, but the layout comes with challenges, too. Mazda's engineers continue to struggle with how to make the rotary comply with modern fuel economy and emissions regulations, though.

https://www.motor1.com/news/223867/mazda-rx-9-powertrain-mule-spied/

 

[supra93]

More spy shots

 

[ssun30]

This is going to be a decade-long project that ultimately produces a hydrogen Wankel engine. In the future of silent electric vehicles, Mazda might be the last company with roaring/screaming ICEs that don't produce nasty stuff.

Fun fact: ULA (the company who builds America's heavy lift rockets) evaluated a Wankel engine against an Otto engine, a turbine, and a fuel cell (all burning H2/O2 of course) for use in outer-space and determined the rotary to have the best overall performance. But they ended up using the Otto Inline-6 due to its simplicity.