Mazda rotary engines edge closer to Australia

Three Mazda rotary-related trademarks seen in Japan last year have now been filed Down Under

Mazda has filed a trio of new rotary-related trademark applications with IP Australia, one of which has been confirmed to revolve around the inbound electrified Mazda MX-30 model that features a rotary range-extender.

But the other two remain intriguing possibilities for a long-awaited return of a rotary-powered Mazda sports car.

What’s more, there are signs the Japanese car-maker could also be readying a new rotary-based hybrid powertrain that would finally give it a series/parallel petrol-electric hybrid system – as seen across the Toyota range – to use in a variety of models.

Mazda’s current ‘M Hybrid’ models are only mild hybrids.

The Aussie trademark applications are for the ‘e-Skyactiv R-EV’ and ‘e-Skyactiv R-HEV’ nameplates, while the other is a filing to protect a bold new badge that’s in the shape of a rotor and has a lowercase ‘e’ in the middle.

A Mazda Australia spokesperson confirmed to carsales that the ‘R-EV’ is the designation for the MX-30 rotary range-extender, which is due in local showrooms next year, but was unable to shed light on the remaining trademark applications.

First seen last year in similar filings overseas, the rotor-shaped badge is clearly a proposed emblem for an electrified rotary-based powertrain.

It might simply turn up on the MX-30 R-EV as a decal, or could be part of a program for a dedicated rotary-powered sports car.

There has been plenty written on the return of such a model, including our report last month linking Mazda and Toyota to a new joint-venture that could see a Mazda RX-7 successor twinned with an all-electric Toyota GR sports car.

The powerful rotary badge would seem more fitting for a sports car, and could also be linked to the ‘R-HEV’ trademark filing that looks to denote Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) as a clear distinction to the range-extender ‘R-EV’.

We’d suggest this could be a pointer to a long-awaited petrol-electric hybrid powertrain that would see the rotary combustion engine play a role in driving the wheels in conjunction with at least one electric motor. (The engine in the range-extender simply replenishes the battery.)

It could certainly be employed in a sports car, but could also provide Mazda’s range of passenger cars and SUVs with a powertrain that would finally take the fight up to Toyota’s hugely popular hybrid models, led by the Toyota RAV4.

On a slightly milder note, a new 48V mild-hybrid system has been earmarked for the next-generation Mazda MX-5, so the jury’s still out on just how far Mazda plans to go down the rotary hybrid route before full electrification takes hold.

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