2001 Mazda 626 V6 Fully Loaded on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Mazda's Tokyo concept foretells of rotary revival

Mazda has long been rumored to be planning a revival of its rotary-powered sports car. Some of those rumors may have come down to wishful thinking as much as concrete information. But now, on the eve of the Tokyo Motor Show, new details have come to light. The Japanese automaker is slated to unveil a two-door sports car concept, previewed in the teaser image above. Little in the way of firm information has been made available prior to the show car's debut, but sources are now citing senior company officials as confirming it has a rotary engine. "It is a two-door, two-seater, Mazda CEO Masamichi Kogai told Autocar. "It is a pure sports car design. We have MX-5 and another icon is a rotary sports car. We haven't talked about market reach but this would be in that segment." R&D chief Kiyoshi Fujiwara added: "People think rotary can not meet modern eco demands. The SkyActiv engineers worked on rotary and gave it cutting-edge tech. It is an essential part of our DNA and it [will] just be passed onto future engineers. It is synonymous with the brand. Some time in the future it will return and be called SkyActiv-R." The last time Mazda produced a rotary-powered model, of course, was with the RX-8, which ended production in 2012. That was preceded by three generations of RX-7, the first of which will be celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2018. If it manages to get the Wankel technology up to modern standards, that could provide just the right opportunity for Mazda to launch a new model. Reached for comment, Mazda spokesman Jacob Brown told Autoblog: "While we can confirm that Mazda continues to develop rotary engines, we cannot confirm production of a rotary at this point. Rotaries are one of the signature engineering technologies that define Mazda, and we will continue exploring them to see where they may fit for production applications." Related Video:

Mazda Hazumi concept presages next Mazda2

Looks like Mazda's big Geneva Motor Show debut is actually something quite small. Teased here, the Hazumi concept "points the way to the future" for the brand's subcompact offering, the Mazda2. Details are slim as of this writing, but from what we can see in the image above, the Hazumi will use the same Kodo design language found on the Mazda3, Mazda6 and CX-5. We're big fans of this styling direction, so we fully expect the concept to be quite an attractive little number.
Hazumi means "bound" or "spring up" in Japanese, with Mazda saying this nomenclature is "particularly well-suited to a small car that appears to be bursting with energy." In other words, say goodbye to the friendly faced Mazda2 we've enjoyed since it launched in the United States in 2010. Instead, prepare for something decidedly more assertive, hopefully improving upon the already-great driving dynamics of the current subcompact. If we're honest, we can't wait.
Mazda will also use the Geneva show to debut its new small-displacement, 1.5-liter Skyactiv-D diesel engine. The automaker hasn't confirmed that this new fuel-efficient powerplant will be part of the Hazumi concept package, but considering the two are debuting alongside each other, it would seem to make sense. As for whether or not this engine could come stateside when the next Mazda2 launches, we're not holding our breath for that, especially considering the company's current woes with US-spec diesel engines.

Mazda just restored the 787B's forgotten older brother

Among Mazda's many racecars, none is as famous as the 787B, and for good reason. The 787B remains the only Japanese car and the only rotary-powered car to win overall at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It wasn't Mazda's only successful endurance racer, though. Before the 787B, there was the 767B. Mazda's 767B racecars competed in the IMSA GTP class at endurance races throughout 1989. They featured 630-horsepower four-rotor engines and were very successful in their class. This newly restored car took first and second place class finishes in five of the six races it participated in, and each finish was in the overall top ten. The one exception was a DNF in which the transmission failed. Twenty-five years after the 767B's glory days, Mazda initiated a complete teardown and restoration of the aged car. The work was done by Downing Atlanta and supervised by former Mazda racers Rick Engman and Jim Downing. (Fun fact: Downing was one of the designers of the HANS device.) The shop has also restored other racecars for Mazda, including one of the 787Bs. The car went through a two-year rehab and will make its track re-debut at the Monterey Motorsports Reunion. The event takes place next weekend at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca where the track will once again feature the angry shriek of a competition-grade rotary engine. Related Video: Image Credit: Mazda North American Operations Motorsports Mazda Automotive History Racing Vehicles Pebble Beach