We’ve heard of folks swapping Mazda rotary engines into older Miatas, but if reports out of Japan are to become believed, the next MX-5, due out in 2012, will come standard with an all new, super effective rotary engine – too as a hybrid system.
7Tune is reporting that an article in the Japanese magazine Best Car outlines Mazda’s plans to get a “rotary hybrid” MX-5, set to compete with the “Hybrid Sports” competitors from Honda and Toyota. Following that, points commence to get a little suspect, as 7Tune reports that.
“According to the popular magazine, Mazda is pondering whether to offer their newly developed Sky-G Hybrid Rotary Motor in a 1.2 liter (generally often known as the 12A) or 1.3 liter (typically known as the 13B) engine capacity for their venerable Roadster.”
Despite these claims, the SKY-G has previously been announced as being a highly-efficient piston motor, even though the 12A – along with the 13B for that matter- hasn’t been construct to get a couple decades. Last December, the SKY-G seemed to be a sure bet for the MX-5, and also the motor was confirmed off the record by means of Mazda sources, who stressed that the new car could be an ultra-lightweight affair, with a 1.3L SKY-G being an integral part on the package. To put a rotary into an MX-5 could well be a harmful blurring of Mazda’s two strongest brands, their RX sports cars (well-known for their rotary engines) plus the MX-5 (which follows the classic 2-seat, bare bones sports auto format that has created it so productive).
On the other hand, Mazda recently announced a patent for any new type of integrated electric motor, mounted in the wheel hub. A compact procedure like this could basically work on a car or truck like the MX-5, where packaging and also a light weight are vital, but only time will tell what powertrain Mazda decides to go with for their iconic sports auto, but with more than 1 million cars sold over 20 years, Mazda has a lot of customers that they can’t afford to alienate, along with a hybrid program would be the antithesis in the no frills experience that manufactured the MX-5 such a hit.