Mazda President Announces Plans to Bring Back Rotary Engine Division 6 Years after Dissolution
11:53 JST, January 14, 2024
CHIBA — Mazda Motor Corp. plans to revive a division specializing in rotary engine development which was dissolved six years ago, Mazda President Masahiro Moro said at an auto show in Chiba.
The automaker will promote the use of plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHVs), which employ a rotary engine as a generator, Moro told reporters Friday. It also plans to develop a rotary engine that uses hydrogen and other fuels, utilizing a prototype that was unveiled last year.
Mazda intends to form a team in the development division comprising 30 engineers and others from Feb. 1. “The rotary engine is expected to be an environmentally friendly engine,” he said.
The rotary engine was Mazda’s signature technology, first mass-produced in 1967, but production ended in 2012 due to poor fuel economy, and the development division was dissolved in 2018.
Since the rotary engine’s compact size, light weight and high power can be utilized in electric vehicles, the company attracted much attention last year when it revived the Iconic SP, a rotary engine-equipped PHV.
"Business" POPULAR ARTICLE
-
Japan, U.S., Philippines to Strengthen Nickel Supply Chains; Reduce Reliance on China for Critical Minerals
-
Shinkansen to Have Private Rooms by FY 2026, JR Tokai Announces
-
Survey: 80% Worried About Recognizing AI as Patent Inventor; Respondents Fear Increase in Unverified Inventions
-
Ride-Sharing Services Start in Tokyo; Kanagawa, Aichi, Kyoto, Others To Follow Suit
-
Japan’s Docomo To Sell Contactless Smart Rings; Users Can Make Payments at the Wave of a Hand
JN ACCESS RANKING
- M6.0 Earthquake Hits Japan’s Tohoku Region; Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi Prefectures Observe 4 on Japanese Scale With No Risk of Tsunami
- China Mutes Memorialization of Reformer Hu Yaobang; Memories Could Spark Critique of Xi Administration
- Shinkansen Services Suspended After Man ‘Searches for Phone’ on Tracks; Disruption Affects About 14,000 Passengers
- U.S. 7th Fleet officer Arrested on Suspicion of Stealing Sushi, Sashimi, Chicken at Kanagawa Shopping Mall; Suspect Caught Mid-Meal
- UNRWA Director Describes Catastrophic Destruction in Gaza; Says Relief Trucks Robbed, ‘People’s Hearts Destroyed’