Reports about a new rotary-powered sports car from
Mazda refuse to die and a couple of months after hopes were revived, a Japanese
publication has speculated that the new vehicle could debut at October’s Tokyo
Motor Show.
If the new car, reportedly dubbed the RX-9, were to
debut in October, it would come 50 years after the Mazda Cosmo premiered and
debuted the famed Wankel rotary engine. Levolant Boost reports that the RX-9
will be heavily inspired by the RX-Vision that premiered in Tokyo 18 months ago
and tip the scales at between 1,300 and 1,350 kg.
Few specifics have been offered about the car’s
powertrain but the rotary engine could be dubbed ‘Skyactive-R’ and debut with
forced induction to produce approximately 450 hp. The RX-9 may also be priced
at around 8 million yen (US$ 71,000).
As exciting as this news is, we’re taking it with a
handful of salt, not just a grain. While it would be fitting for Mazda to
celebrate the rotary engine’s 50th anniversary, the company has never said it
is planning a new sports car and only admitted to continuing development of the
Wankel hoping to find a breakthrough.
