TOKYO -- The next-generation rotary engine from Mazda Motor Corp. isn't ready. The engine, unveiled at the 2007 Tokyo show under the code name 16X, was planned as the powerplant for the next-generation RX-8 sports car to be launched in 2012 or so.
Seita Kanai, head of Mazda r&d, said the engine does not meet the performance and fuel economy guidelines the automaker requires for a production model. Work continues to cut the rotary's fuel consumption.
The code name refers to the increase in the current engine's displacement, from 1.3 liters to 1.6 liters.
Kanai declined to say whether it's back to the drawing board for the 16X. "The 16X is more a profile of a rotary still in our concept stage," he said. "It needs more evolution."
(Source: Automotive News)
Here is some info on the new RX...what do you think? Sounds good to me..
http://blogs.insideline.com/straigh...2012-mazda-rx-7-could-spell-end-for-rx-8.html
Despite the tough economy, the Mazda RX-7 revival is still going to happen. Sources close to Mazda tell us that we could see a new RX-7 as early as 2011. However, the arrival of the 2012 Mazda RX-7 of the RX-7 will almost certainly signal the end for the expensive, slow-selling Mazda RX-8.
mazda_16X_rotaryengine.jpg As we reported early this year, the next RX-7 will use Mazda's new-generation Renesis 16X rotary engine which debuted at the 2007 Tokyo Auto Show in the Taiki concept. This 1,600cc, two-rotor Wankel engine has a 800cc x 2 configuration versus the 654cc x 2 configuration in the current RX-8.
The upshot of the extra displacement should be better performance, as the 16X is said to be capable of up to 350 horsepower and 215 pound-feet of torque versus the RX8's paltry 232 hp and 159 lb-ft.
Early reports suggested that Mazda would take advantage of this power potential and build a 300-hp RX-8 with styling cues from the Furai concept (shown at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show)and a mid-$30Ks price tag.
However, sources close to Mazda now suggest that the company will take a simpler approach and create a car whose character evokes the original RX-7 (sold in the U.S. from 1979-1985). Horsepower is expected to be in the 200-250 range and the pricetag will be about $25,000.
A simpler, more efficient RX-7 would likely be a better fit with current economic and legislative realities, though we hear Mazda is still trying to reduce the weight of the 16X engine while lowering fuel consumption (the age-old problem with rotaries). If the company can sort it all out, the 2012 RX-7 should provide interesting competition for the Hyundai Genesis Coupe and the production version of the Toyota FT-86. -- Mak Tokuyama, reporting from Japan
