As of this week, the Japanese carmaker is once again producing Wankel engines in its factory in Hiroshima, Japan.
The last time the company made a rotary engine was 11 years ago, when it was still assembling the RX-8 Spirit R (see video), a Japan-only sports car. It may seem like a niche design at a glance, but consider that Mazda has sold around 2,000,000 rotary cars in the world to date.
For the time being, the resurrected Wankel engine will only be used in the part-electric MX-30 e-Skyactiv R-EV model to charge up its battery. It is a small engine with 830cc (0.83 liters) of displacement and 75 PS (74 hp / 55 kW) at the output end. As a range extender, it will not be directly linked to the wheels.