Australia crucial for Mazda RX-9

When Mazda revealed the RX Vision concept at the 2015 Tokyo motor show, it was the strongest indication in years that the Japanese car maker was about to resurrect the rotary sports car.

When – rather than if – a successor to the RX-7 and RX-8 rotary sports car arrives, the Australian market will be crucial to its success.

"I think there's an appetite for it," Tony Mee, Mazda Australia's PR specialist said.

"Australians love rotary. But it's not a mass volume car," cautioned Mee, who used measured language when talking about the vehicle.

He said there were "no plans to reintroduce rotary into the market at this stage".

"We're very happy with the way MX-5 is currently selling. Is there room for another sports car in the Mazda range? Possibly."

Kenichiro Saruwatari, Mazda's deputy general manager, product division, added weight to the argument, observing that "...customers want the rotary engine".

He told motoring.com.au "We still have engineers focussed on rotary development," and said the "specialist engineers strongly want to have it".

"Our brand icon is ‘challenge’. We cannot drop the rotary engine from our brand," said Saruwatari-san.

Australians typically buy sports car in much higher quantities (per capita) than most other industrialised markets and the return of an RX sports car would likely see enthusiastic customers flocking to dealerships.

From the Mazda RX-2 Capella to the third-generation RX-7 that ended production in 2002 – and let's not forget the Comso – rotary-powered cars have always held a special place in Australian car culture.

Mazda has been without a halo vehicle (or rotory) since the RX-8 was retired in 2012, and the new sports car is tipped to continue the RX lineage with an RX-9 badge.

Since the RX Vision concept broke cover in late 2015, Mazda has patented a new rotor-powered sports car design, has outlined its new rotary-powertrain, dubbed SKYACTIV-R, and reports from Japan suggest the RX-9 sports car has been green-lit by Mazda's board of directors.

Another concept version of the RX Vision car may debut in late October at the 2017 Tokyo motor show ahead of a 2020 launch. That would coincide with Mazda's centenary celebrations but also the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, when the eyes of the world will be on Japan. Toyota meanwhile is developing a flying car to light the Olympic flame.

Rotary engines use triangular 'rotors' – typically two, sometimes three – instead of pistons and because they rotate in a central axis, instead of pumping up and down, can rev faster and produce more power from smaller displacement.

They also burn through fuel at a much higher rate than a typical four-stroke piston engine and the biggest hurdle facing any new rotary vehicle will be meeting EU emission regulations by 2021.

A combination of turbocharging and possibly even electrification via a hybrid module are all understood to be on the table.

Madza's product division GM, Saruwatari-san, said it would maintain a lightweight philosophy with all its sports car projects. If the Mazda RX Vision concept is a guide, the RX-9 sports car will be compact too. At 4.4m long the rear-drive coupe concept is slightly shorter than a Mazda3 hatchback.

Expected to pump out around 300kW and weigh less than 1300kg, the new RX-9 could be a lot of fun and could provide Mazda with a high-tech, high-performance halo model that Aussies will go bananas for.

Watch this space.