HIROSHIMA, Japan, Oct 31, 2023 - (JCN Newswire) - Mazda Motor Corporation today announced that total production volume of rotary engine vehicles has surpassed two million units.

Mazda Rotary Engine Vehicle Total Production Volume Surpasses Two Million Units

The rotary engine is an engine with a unique structure that uses rotational movement of triangular rotors to generate power. The first vehicle Mazda equipped with a rotary engine was the Mazda Cosmo Sport (Mazda 110S), introduced in 1967. From there, Mazda continued to refine the performance of their rotary engines, making improvements to output, fuel economy, and durability, and maintaining their position as the only automaker mass-producing rotary engines for many years. In June this year, Mazda resumed production of rotary engine vehicles for the first time in eleven years after having ended production of the Mazda RX-8 in 2012 and is set to begin sales of their twelfth rotary engine vehicle, the Mazda MX-30 e-SKYACTIV R-EV, in the coming days.

Takeshi Mukai, Director and Senior Managing Executive Officer at Mazda, made the following statement in response to reaching two million total production units.

"The rotary engine is a special part of Mazda history and represents our 'never-stop challenging spirit.' The rotary engine is much loved by customers around the world, and we are excited to resume production and see it make a comeback. I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank everyone who has supported us on this journey - in particular, the many customers who have purchased rotary engine vehicles, our rotary engine fans, and all our business partners who were involved in development and production. Moving forward, we will continue to pass on this 'never-stop challenging spirit,' offering attractive vehicles that provide our customers with an exciting driving experience even in the age of electrification."

Mazda will continue to pursue the 'Joy of Driving' under its core value, 'Human Centric,' and aim to deliver 'Joy of Living' by creating moving experiences in customers' daily lives.

Mazda Rotary Engine Timeline

July 1961

Technical tie-up with NSU and Wankel

May 1967

Completion of the rotary engine announced and Mazda Cosmo Sport(Mazda 110S) launches

July 1968

Mazda Familia Rotary coupe (Mazda R100 coupe) launches

October 1969

Mazda Luce Rotary coupe (Mazda R130 coupe) launches

May 1970

Mazda Capella Rotary series (Mazda RX-2) launches

September 1971

Mazda Savanna (Mazda RX-3) launches

November 1972

2nd Generation Mazda Luce Rotary series (Mazda RX-4) launches

June 1973

Total rotary engine vehicle production volume reaches 500,000

February 1974

2nd Generation Mazda Capella (Mazda RX-2) launches

April 1974

Mazda Rotary Pickup (REPU) launches in North America

July 1974

Mazda Parkway Rotary 26 launches

April 1975

Mazda Roadpacer AP launches

October 1975

2nd Generation Mazda Cosmo AP (Mazda RX-5) launches

October 1977

3rd Generation Mazda Luce (Mazda 929L) launches

March 1978

1st Generation Mazda Savanna RX-7 (Mazda RX-7) launches

November 1978

Total rotary engine vehicle production volume reaches 1 million

November 1981

3rd Generation Mazda Cosmo and 4th Generation Luce Rotary series(Mazda 929) launch

October 1985

2nd Generation Mazda Savanna RX-7 (Mazda RX-7) launches

April 1986

Total rotary engine vehicle production volume reaches 1.5 million

September 1986

5th Generation Mazda Luce (Mazda 929) launches

April 1990

4th Generation Mazda Cosmo (Eunos Cosmo) launches, equipped with a three-rotor rotary engine

June 1991

Mazda 787B wins the 59th 24 Hours of Le Mans

December 1991

3rd Generation Mazda RX-7 (fini RX-7) launches

April 2002

The last Mazda RX-7 limited edition model, Spirit R Series, launches

April 2003

Mazda RX-8 launches

November 2011

The last Mazda RX-8 special edition vehicle, Spirit R, launches

June 2012

Production of the Mazda RX-8 ends

June 2023

Production of the Mazda MX-30 e-SKYACTIV R-EV starts

October 2023

Total rotary engine vehicle production volume reaches 2 million

*Total production volume is based on in-house calculations.

Source: mazda

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