Mazda Stops Production of the Last Rotary Engine Powered Car

Hugh Pickens writes "After a 45-year production run, Mazda Motor Corp announced that the latest edition of the Mazda RX-8 will end production in June 2012. The Japanese automaker ... introduced its first rotary engine car in 1967 and is the only automaker in the world that makes rotary engine vehicles, once the darling of the automotive industry. Such engines have fewer moving parts and are quieter than comparable piston engines but are more expensive to manufacture and consume more fuel. Cumulative sales of Mazda vehicles with rotary engines total about 1.995 million but Mazda sold only 2,896 RX-8 cars last year, with 1,245 of them in North America and 963 in Japan. 'Although R-X production is ending, the rotary engine will always represent the spirits of Mazda, and Mazda remains committed to its ongoing development,' says Mazda Chief Executive and President Takashi Yamanouchi recalling the victory of Mazda's rotary engine at Le Mans 20 years ago... Mazda does not have flashy green technologies in its lineup that its bigger Japanese rivals do — such as the hybrids at Toyota Motor Corp. or electric vehicles at Nissan Motor Co. The fading away of its prized rotary engine — although largely symbolic — is yet another blow."

Comments

I feel a disturbance...

[jandrese]

Like a million apex seals cried out in unison, and were then ejected from the tailpipe.

Re:There's nothing spectacular about the Rotary

[Insightfill]

he... used to make a point of dragging off trams and pulling in front of them at intersections, accellerating and breaking heavily on tram tracks so as not to run the red light, with several tonnes of tram having to break heavily behind him so as not to rear end him.

That, my friends, is a WANKER-powered car.

I agree with sibling posts - what an ass.

"And occasionally, he'd drive onto the sidewalk to see what people would do."