Unearthed Mazda Patent Points To Possible Return Of Rotary Engine, Also Highlights Novel Hybrid System

Mazda has long been a persistent believer in the potential of the rotary engine. The rotary (also known as the Wankel engine) has been around for awhile, but following a brief period in the 1970s where the novel engine was viewed as a potential solution to improving fuel economy, the engine has largely languished in the background. The last production model to utilize one was (unsurprisingly) the long axed Mazda RX-8 sports car. But Mazda has not given up on the idea of using it, and a recently unearthed patent appears to suggest that Mazda is closer to reviving the …

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