HIROSHIMA, Japan, Oct 31, 2023 - (JCN Newswire) - Mazda Motor Corporation today announced that total production volume of rotary engine vehicles has surpassed two million units.
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The rotary engine is an engine with a unique structure that uses rotational movement of triangular rotors to generate power. The first vehicle Mazda equipped with a rotary engine was the Mazda Cosmo Sport (Mazda 110S), introduced in 1967. From there, Mazda continued to refine the performance of their rotary engines, making improvements to output, fuel economy, and durability, and maintaining their position as the only automaker mass-producing rotary engines for many years. In June this year, Mazda resumed production of rotary engine vehicles for the first time in eleven years after having ended production of the Mazda RX-8 in 2012 and is set to begin sales of their twelfth rotary engine vehicle, the Mazda MX-30 e-SKYACTIV R-EV, in the coming days.
Takeshi Mukai, Director and Senior Managing Executive Officer at Mazda, made the following statement in response to reaching two million total production units.
"The rotary engine is a special part of Mazda history and represents our 'never-stop challenging spirit.' The rotary engine is much loved by customers around the world, and we are excited to resume production and see it make 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 have purchased rotary engine vehicles, our rotary engine fans, and all our business partners who were involved in development and production. Moving forward, we will continue to pass on this 'never-stop challenging spirit,' offering attractive vehicles that provide our customers with an exciting driving experience even in the age of electrification."
Mazda will continue to pursue the 'Joy of Driving' under its core value, 'Human Centric,' and aim to deliver 'Joy of Living' by creating moving experiences in customers' daily lives.
Mazda Rotary Engine Timeline
July 1961
Technical tie-up with NSU and Wankel
May 1967
Completion of the rotary engine announced and Mazda Cosmo Sport(Mazda 110S) launches
July 1968
Mazda Familia Rotary coupe (Mazda R100 coupe) launches
October 1969
Mazda Luce Rotary coupe (Mazda R130 coupe) launches
May 1970
Mazda Capella Rotary series (Mazda RX-2) launches
September 1971
Mazda Savanna (Mazda RX-3) launches
November 1972
2nd Generation Mazda Luce Rotary series (Mazda RX-4) launches
June 1973
Total rotary engine vehicle production volume reaches 500,000
February 1974
2nd Generation Mazda Capella (Mazda RX-2) launches
April 1974
Mazda Rotary Pickup (REPU) launches in North America
July 1974
Mazda Parkway Rotary 26 launches
April 1975
Mazda Roadpacer AP launches
October 1975
2nd Generation Mazda Cosmo AP (Mazda RX-5) launches
October 1977
3rd Generation Mazda Luce (Mazda 929L) launches
March 1978
1st Generation Mazda Savanna RX-7 (Mazda RX-7) launches
November 1978
Total rotary engine vehicle production volume reaches 1 million
November 1981
3rd Generation Mazda Cosmo and 4th Generation Luce Rotary series(Mazda 929) launch
October 1985
2nd Generation Mazda Savanna RX-7 (Mazda RX-7) launches
April 1986
Total rotary engine vehicle production volume reaches 1.5 million
September 1986
5th Generation Mazda Luce (Mazda 929) launches
April 1990
4th Generation Mazda Cosmo (Eunos Cosmo) launches, equipped with a three-rotor rotary engine
June 1991
Mazda 787B wins the 59th 24 Hours of Le Mans
December 1991
3rd Generation Mazda RX-7 (fini RX-7) launches
April 2002
The last Mazda RX-7 limited edition model, Spirit R Series, launches
April 2003
Mazda RX-8 launches
November 2011
The last Mazda RX-8 special edition vehicle, Spirit R, launches
June 2012
Production of the Mazda RX-8 ends
June 2023
Production of the Mazda MX-30 e-SKYACTIV R-EV starts
October 2023
Total rotary engine vehicle production volume reaches 2 million
*Total production volume is based on in-house calculations.
Source: mazda
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