Skip to main content

Rotary Revisited in Mazda RX-Vision Concept

Photo Credit: Mazda North American Operations



The Tokyo Motor Show is one of the longest running Asian auto shows, the Japanese exhibition has gained a reputation for showing the world many possible futures for the automobile. Hosted as a biennial event, Japan’s native auto companies is tasked with assembling some bold ideas in concept car forms featuring far-out styling and radical new technologies.

Back in 1964, Mazda showed the Cosmo sports car displaying a different engine concept. For the 2015 edition of the Tokyo Motor Show is guaranteed already to be living up to the aspirations days ahead of the doors opening to the public. Among a vast line-up of concept cars premiering in Tokyo is Mazda’s revival of their rotary engine technology.


Photo Credit: Mazda North American Operations



A front-engined, rear-wheel drive sports car, the Mazda RX-Vision Concept is explored as a continuation to the spirit of the Cosmo as well as the RX-7 high-performance car. Shaped through the influence of Mazda’s KODO design philosophy, the RX-Vision wears a familiar production-like grille at the end of a long hood. The hood positioning creates an exceptionally exotic appearance for the Mazda combined with a sharply raked windshield. At the rear of the concept car, taillights have more than a passing resemblance to the last generation RX-7.

Mazda reminds the world with the RX-Vision Concept their rotary engine development is still ongoing. Often referred to as a Wankel engine, Mazda’s Rotary engine uses a three-sided rotor instead of pistons. Known for boasting a strong power-to-weight ratio and needing fewer parts to operate, Mazda had been the forerunner in bringing the Wankel rotary engine to a widely-publicized manner. In the past, this type of engine configuration has been looked at by General Motors and Mercedes-Benz. There was even plans to equip Wankel rotary engines with the Jeep brand when it was owned by the American Motors Corporation in the 1970s. Mazda is one of few companies that have been able to make rotary powerplants a production reality. Advantages of the rotary engine has also contended with some serious negative points with fuel economy and emissions being a problem. The issue of controlling emissions was still a problem when Mazda sold the RX-8 leading the sports car’s demise.


Photo Credit: Mazda North American Operations



With the Mazda RX-Vision Concept, the new rotary engine is identified as a SkyActiv-R. While there is no details provided on the possible rotary engine of the future but does say it addresses all the disadvantages of the previous generation model of the powerplant.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Canadian Star Car: Red Green's Possum Van

Clip of Possum Van during a Red Green Show season 1 scene transition.  It could be argued that the car someone regularly drives can be reflective of their personality. The level of character traits found in our automobiles can range from subtle to flamboyant as practicality, style, power, brand loyalty and other details are factors influencing our vehicle affection. On the big screen and silver screen, an automobile (frequently popularized as a Star Car) can be used to affirmatively to expand on a human character. Batman’s Batmobile, the Dodge Charger called the ‘General Lee’ in Dukes of Hazzard, the Volvo P1800 featured in the 1960s television version of The Saint, the Aston Martin DB5 driven by James Bond in some of the most famous spy movies are some popular examples where vehicles play a major role in reinforcing the appearance of fictional individuals. Due to the budgetary constraints of Canadian media productions, the presence of native Star Cars is rare. However, one success...
Post a Comment
Read more

What Is A Column Shifter and Why It Is Regaining Relevance?

Pictured here, the opulent multi-colour interior of the 1955 Packard Caribbean Convertible included a dazzling chrome column shift lever. (Photo Credit: Chris Nagy/Car FYI Canada)  The important role of a transmission paired with an internal combustion engine has been established for more than 100 years in facilitating the efficient flow of power through the drive wheels. Eventually through the evolution of automobile design, the familiar placement for a gearshift lever was mounted on the floor. However, for a time, it was also popular to find a gear shifter behind the steering wheel attached to the steering column. The Birth of Three on the Tree Although column shifters would become synonymous with automatic transmissions, the first appearance of the gear shift behind the steering wheel came with a manual gearbox. Referred to in brochures as remote control shifting, the 1939 Plymouth introduced the shifter positioning behind the steering wheel. The novel remote control shifting ...
Post a Comment
Read more

The 1967 Indy 500: When An STP-Sponsored Turbine Almost Changed Racing

Photo Credit: Uncredited Photographer/IMS LLC Racing has always been the ultimate proving ground for automobiles. Not only has competition promoted innovations big and small, race cars have also influenced overall vehicle appearance. At the 1967 Indianapolis 500, the STP-Paxton TurboCar fielded by the late Andy Granatelli provided a shocking example of how much racing at the speedway evolved over 56 years. Ever since the first 500-mile event was held at the 2.5-mile rectangular oval Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1911, the winning Marmon Wasp with a rearview mirror paved the way for what would be a grand showcase of automotive development. Accompanying “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” advancements in automobile technology showed greater sophistication with every passing decade in the quest for more speed. During the 1920s and 1930s, American race car designer Henry Miller offered groundbreaking engines to the Indianapolis 500. Miller also gave front-wheel drive technology it...
Post a Comment
Read more