Mazda rotary engine set to return to Oz

Mazda Australia is set to bring the much-loved rotary engine back to Australia in a small and sporty package.

But don’t expect screaming high revs and fire-belching exhausts, because the all-new rotary engine won’t be wedged under the bonnet of a sleek Toyota Supra-smashing Mazda RX-9 sports car – the likes of which enthusiasts have been endlessly praying for since the RX-8 was retired in 2012.

Instead, a compact rotary engine will form the crux of a range-extender system for the sleek new Mazda MX-30 electrified compact crossover.

“Mazda Australia is interested in bringing the MX-30 range-extender to the Australian market and is currently considering the business case with Mazda Corporation,” a company spokesperson told carsales.

Mazda Corporation last year announced the range-extender version of the MX-30 EV would be offered in Japan and Europe in the first half of 2022, and carsales understands it’s all but certain to be sold Down Under as soon as it becomes available for this market.

Prices for the new Mazda MX-30 – which consists of mild-hybrid, full-electric and now range-extending electric – is not yet known.

Given the all-electric version of the MX-30 has a range of 224km (NEDC) from its 35kWh lithium-ion battery pack, the range-extender version should offer significantly greater range and may generate more appeal among Aussie buyers as a result.

Prototype versions of the rotary or Wankel engine-equipped MX-30 began testing in Japan in January so expect tech specs and details to emerge soon.

It’s not known when Australian models will begin rolling into showrooms but late 2022 or early 2023 appears likely given the priority of other markets in the first half of 2022.

The Japanese brand’s first electrified vehicle to launch in Australia will be the Mazda MX-30 M Hybrid in April. It is powered by a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine (114kW/200Nm) with a 48V mild-hybrid electrical system, a small lithium-ion battery and a 5.1kW electric motor.

The EV version of the MX-30 will arrive in July and is powered by a small electric motor (107kW/271Nm). All models are front-drive and are hooked up to an automatic transmission.

Rivals for Mazda’s EV will include the Hyundai Kona Electric ($60,740 plus ORCs), MG ZS EV ($43,990 drive-away) and the forthcoming Kia e-Niro which is due here in the first half of 2021. But all three vehicles have much higher cruising ranges.

It remains to be seen whether Mazda’s resurrected rotary engine technology will be expanded to larger capacities and fitted to other vehicles – potentially sports cars – but given the brand’s R&D budgets are being swallowed up by the brand’s new inline six-cylinder engine and large car platform, it appears unlikely.