Mazda Rotary Engine Vehicle Total Production Volume Surpasses Two Million Units

Oct 31, 2023 13:21 JST

Source: mazda

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.*

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 (É›Ìƒfini 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