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.*
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 1961Technical tie-up with NSU and WankelMay 1967Completion of the rotary engine announced and Mazda Cosmo Sport(Mazda 110S) launchesJuly 1968Mazda Familia Rotary coupe (Mazda R100 coupe) launchesOctober 1969Mazda Luce Rotary coupe (Mazda R130 coupe) launchesMay 1970Mazda Capella Rotary series (Mazda RX-2) launchesSeptember 1971Mazda Savanna (Mazda RX-3) launchesNovember 19722nd Generation Mazda Luce Rotary series (Mazda RX-4) launchesJune 1973Total rotary engine vehicle production volume reaches 500,000February 19742nd Generation Mazda Capella (Mazda RX-2) launchesApril 1974Mazda Rotary Pickup (REPU) launches in North AmericaJuly 1974Mazda Parkway Rotary 26 launchesApril 1975Mazda Roadpacer AP launchesOctober 19752nd Generation Mazda Cosmo AP (Mazda RX-5) launchesOctober 19773rd Generation Mazda Luce (Mazda 929L) launchesMarch 19781st Generation Mazda Savanna RX-7 (Mazda RX-7) launchesNovember 1978Total rotary engine vehicle production volume reaches 1 millionNovember 19813rd Generation Mazda Cosmo and 4th Generation Luce Rotary series(Mazda 929) launchOctober 19852nd Generation Mazda Savanna RX-7 (Mazda RX-7) launchesApril 1986Total rotary engine vehicle production volume reaches 1.5 millionSeptember 19865th Generation Mazda Luce (Mazda 929) launchesApril 19904th Generation Mazda Cosmo (Eunos Cosmo) launches, equipped with a three-rotor rotary engineJune 1991Mazda 787B wins the 59th 24 Hours of Le MansDecember 19913rd Generation Mazda RX-7 (ɛ̃fini RX-7) launchesApril 2002The last Mazda RX-7 limited edition model, Spirit R Series, launchesApril 2003Mazda RX-8 launchesNovember 2011The last Mazda RX-8 special edition vehicle, Spirit R, launchesJune 2012Production of the Mazda RX-8 endsJune 2023Production of the Mazda MX-30 e-SKYACTIV R-EV startsOctober 2023Total rotary engine vehicle production volume reaches 2 million
*Total production volume is based on in-house calculations.
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