Mazda pulled it off: production of two-millionth rotary engine

Mazda rotary engine

The Mazda Cosmo Sport (Mazda 110S) – introduced in 1967 – was Mazda’s first rotary engine vehicle. It didn’t stop there. Models such as the RX-7 and RX-8 are also examples of Mazda’s with a wankel engine. In fact, Mazda has been the only automaker to mass produce rotary engine vehicles for many years. The rotary motor is a motor with a unique construction that uses the rotary motion of triangular rotors to generate power. After the RX-8 went out of production, development of the wankel engine never stopped at Mazda. An internal development team was operating in the background.

Big Mazda boss speaks out

In June 2023, Mazda resumed production of the rotary engine with the arrival of the Mazda MX-30 R-EV. Takeshi Mukai, Director and Senior Managing Executive Officer at Mazda, said, “The rotary engine is a special part of Mazda’s history. The rotary engine is much loved by customers around the world and we are delighted to resume production and see that the engine has made a comeback. I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank everyone who has supported us on this journey. In particular, the many customers who bought cars with a rotary engine, our rotary engine fans and all our business partners who were involved in the development and production.”

Mazda rotary engine timeline