Rumours about the new Mazda’s rotary-powered sports coupé have been circulating for quite a long time already; however, these speculations and assumptions are finally starting to get real. A rotary-powered sports car has been given a green light. One of the Japanese automaker’s officials has even given a timeframe, the power figures of the new model, and details on technical characteristics.
The Australian Motoring website refers to an anonymous Mazda’s senior manager, who revealed some information about the new rotary-powered supercar. According to the sources of the Australian journalists, a concept car is due in 2017, while the production version will come out in 2020. Most probably, it will wear the RX-9 moniker.
The new model will carry a totally new powertrain. Mazda’s engineers have dubbed it the 16X. It will feature the same basic characteristics — two sections and the total displacement around 1.3L — as the previous-generation Renesis, however, its technical specifications will be totally different. As a reminder, the Renesis engines were notable for low reliability and poor characteristics, and particularly, low accelerating ability. Moreover, the powertrain will be considerably more powerful than the previous-generation mills, which used to deliver less than 250 hp. This time the figures are set at 450 hp.
But how can they achieve that? Motoring has an answer to this question also. It will feature an innovative turbo system. An «electric turbo assist» will be coupled to a traditional turbo. It will provide the necessary boost pressure at low rpm, while the regular exhaust-driven turbo will kick in at higher rpm levels. Audi is in the middle of testing a similar system at the moment. The car’s lightweight construction and the use of carbon fibre materials will allow keeping the new model’s weight below 1,300 kg.
