Next Gen Mazda Rotary Will Ditch Spark Plugs For Laser Ignition

Hopefully it won't consume oil like crazy, get better than 18mpg highway, and have more than 159lbft of torque. That’s how the current RX8's engine behaves. I hope that the new engine is completely different. There are several reason why all other manufacturers abandoned the rotary engine.

Every engine consumes oil. Checking it isn't hard and oil isn't expensive. 2 strokes needed oil in the fuel. When was the last time a N/A 4 pot made 159lbs ft of torque?

I had a 2004 RX-8 for 6 years that consumed exactly 1 quart between oil changes and averaged 20 mpg. Hardly excessive on either count for a sports car. If routine maintenance is beyond your capabilities, buy a toyota

Well it's either a HCCI rotary, laser ignition, or some sort of diesel glow plug... laser ignition is probably the safest bet.

I wonder if they are still using the dual stage direct injection on this new engine.

if they added sharks...

Really? Mazda? Common logic by this day and age would be that the next generation rotary would eliminate rotors and use pistons. Have you people not figured out that this engine has failed for the better part of 4 decades to stay in one piece, not burn oil, and not suck?

Reminds of of the days I sold Mazdas in the mid 1990's. People would always look at you skeptically, "That thang ain't got that damn rotary does it?".

Uh you are far from the truth. Common logic is to simplify and increase efficiency. In this case its power over fuel economy. Yea replacement parts are expensive, but there are only 3 moving.

But if you have been around them at all you would know that the design is inherently unreliable. Since the day they arrived they haven't lasted as long, always have had oil burn problems (to this day). Find an RX-8 owner with over 30,000 miles that does NOT have to adda quart of oil every month. And...then there is the part about they cant meet the more stringent emissions laws. They burn dirty, they eat oil and though they have few parts- are historically unreliable. There is a reason why every other car maker in the world doesn't use the Wankel, and a reason why Mazda confines it to only one model.

If that's what commmon logic is, then 911's would have been mid engined years ago, and Corvettes would have coil over suspension with overhead valves. And the LFA would actually weigh less then it's competition due to it's "bespoke carbon weaved chassis"

No he is correct fan or no fan its fact that the rotary is a terrible engine. So much so that many RX8s dont have that engine under the hood because of countless issues dont believe me do research. On top of the low power figures, V8 fuel economy (it actually gets worse epa ratings than a 5.0 mustang and the same about the same as a Z06 yet its nowhere near fast in any regard). The Rx8s best feature is its style and handling both which dont make up for its poor performance, poor reliability, and unreasonable maintenance. Now they are adding more untested technology to an already inefficient engine that has proven unreliable time and time again??? Good luck mazda.....and to the idiots that buy one make sure you know the service manager well....

So what was the point (benefit) of the rotary to begin with other than being different for the sake of it?

A rotary provides better power/weight ratio then its piston bearing relatives.

"A rotary provides better power/weight ratio then its piston bearing relatives"

- But at what cost? Crappy fuel economy, high oil consumption, anemic torque output.

If the rotary engines were that good, there would be more than one car that still has that engine. Mazda is hanging on to a dream.

Along with Mazda, also FEV and AVL are currently investing (or just heavily advertising in the Press) their WANKEL engine Range-Extenders.

Besides the known simplicity, lightweight and package of the WANKEL engine, FEV and AVL are proud of the vibration-free superiority of the Wankel, as compared with the conventional engine.

At http://www.pattakon.com/pattakonPatOP.htm and http://www.pattakon.com/pattakonOPRE.htm Mazda, FEV and AVL can find engines that are more vibration free than the Wankel engine.

With respect to the inertia forces and moments (inertia vibrations), an OPRE engine driving two counter-rotating electric generators is as vibration-free as a Wankel range extender.
With respect to the combustion-pulses (power vibrations), an OPRE range extender is way more vibration free than any Wankel range extender: it is pure mathematics.

Thanks
Manousos Pattakos