2023 Mazda MX-30 R-EV rotary hybrid reveal locked in

Mazda has confirmed it will launch its 2023 Mazda MX-30 R-EV plug-in hybrid at the Brussels motor show on January 13, featuring a rotary petrol engine as a range-extender.

Announcing that the rotary engine has been “reborn for the electric age”, Mazda stopped short of detailing the new powertrain in the Mazda MX-30 R-EV small SUV ahead of its unveiling.

However, the chief advantage of using the rotary engine as a range-extender is both its small size and punchy output.

Addressing one of the chief criticisms of the battery-powered Mazda MX-30 Electric, which uses a small 35.5kWh battery that provides for a paltry 224km (ADR) range, the rotary R-EV will end range anxiety while also boosting range.

As standard, the MX-30 Electric comes equipped with a single motor that drives the front wheels. Producing 107kW and 271Nm, the battery-powered Mazda can only manage a 0-100km/h sprint of 9.7 seconds.

This marks the first time a rotary engine has powered one of the Japanese brand’s cars since the Mazda RX-8 coupe was pensioned off back in 2012.

The car-maker first experimented with Wankel-derived engines in the 1960s, and launched the dual-rotor Mazda Cosmo Sport in 1967.

Curiously, the biggest hurdle with using high-power rotary engines in production vehicles has been their poor efficiency and high emissions.

However, according to Mazda, the reinvented engine will be “faithful to its multi-solution approach to the global challenges of reducing greenhouse gas emissions”.

Mazda says its new MX-30 PHEV will go on sale in Europe from the second quarter of this year, but has not indicated when the technology will be rolled out in other markets.

There’s also no confirmation yet as to the rotary engine’s application in sports cars, which could herald the long-awaited return of an all-new RX performance model – as suggested by the Mazda RX-Vision GT3 Concept and the earlier RX-Vision.