New Mazda RX-7 on the way

[SVT666]

A top Mazda engineer has confirmed that the automaker is developing an all-new, rotary-engined RX-7 sports car that will debut by 2017.

MX-5 program manager Nobuhiro Yamamoto revealed to Car News that Mazda is working on a new RX-7 that will be lighter, more powerful and more fuel efficient than the discontinued RX-8.

Yamamoto, who served as the powertrain manager for the previous RX-7 and also designed the Le Mans-winning Mazda 787B?s Wankel motor, said the car will use Mazda's next-generation 16X rotary engine. Whereas the RX-8's 1.3-liter Renesis mill made 232 horsepower, Yamaoto indicated that the 16X will displace 1.6 liters and produce around 300 horsepower in naturally aspirated form (a turbo variant is a possibility down the road).

Thanks to special catalytic converters and combustion principles borrowed from Mazda's SkyActiv technology, the motor should be emissions-compliant around the globe and also boast improved fuel economy compared to the thirsty Renesis. However, Yamaoto said that Mazda would not consider adding a hybrid system as Acura has with the reborn NSX.

?For a pure sportscar, it must be internal combustion,? Yamaoto said.

Aluminum will be used extensively in the RX-7's bodyshell, helping keep weight down to about the same 2800 lbs. as the Scion FR-S/ Subaru BRZ. A stretched version of the next-generation MX-5 Miata's platform will likely underpin the RX-7, and the car will be a two-seater in all markets except for Japan, where it will feature a pair of diminutive rear seats.

While it's still too early in the development process for anything close to exact pricing details, Yamaoto did say that the new RX-7 will fall between Nissan's 370Z  and GT-R sports cars in terms of MSRP - indicating that the car will definitely be more expensive than the RX-8.

[SVT666]

Great news if it's true.  The only thing that's going to be really difficult to do in my books is recapture the beauty of the last RX-7.

[sportyaccordy]

I hope they make it happen.

[Laconian]

Oh, shit. That is a crazy power/weight ratio.

[Raza]

Yea!  Another really expensive rotary!

[SVT666]

That's the only thing.  One of the reasons the RX-7 suffered poor sales was because of the price tag.  The FD RX-7 is one of my all-time favourite cars, but damn was it pricey.

[Raza]

That's the only thing.  One of the reasons the RX-7 suffered poor sales was because of the price tag.  The FD RX-7 is one of my all-time favourite cars, but damn was it pricey.

I'm sure people will be knocking down Mazda dealer doors to spend 50-60K on a Mazda that gets 12mpg and needs a new engine every year.

[MrH]

I'll be one of them BRZ will need replacing by then.

[sportyaccordy]

I'm sure people will be knocking down Mazda dealer doors to spend 50-60K on a Mazda that gets 12mpg and needs a new engine every year.

Yea sadly this will be another internet favorite

[Onslaught]

Yeah, I saw this http://www.themotorreport.com.au/55336/mazda-rx-7-returning-in-2017-yamamoto  the other day but didn't post anything about it seeing that we've been hearing this for years. But seeing that it's Yamamoto talking then perhaps it's not all BS.

I hope they make it but to be honest I don't see myself liking it more the the FD. That's my all time favorite car and I'd probably want it over this one. Now if this 16X would fit in the FD without much work then so much the better.

[Onslaught]

Oh, it would be idiotic to bring one out that cost that much. Overpriced sports cars are what killed the Japanese cars of the 90's. Sure the 300, Supra and RX-7 of those days kick ass. But they all cost too damn much for the people who buy them.
Returning the RX to it's roots would be a better idea. If you want some high end rotary car then bring the cosmo back.

[Onslaught]

I'm sure people will be knocking down Mazda dealer doors to spend 50-60K on a Mazda that gets 12mpg and needs a new engine every year.

I get about 14-16 mpg when I'm thrashing the shit out of it hitting the red line in the first three gears. And if I drive "normal" then it's in the 20's. I'm not saying that's good but it's sure isn't 12. And I've not needed one part other then the battery replaced yet. Out of the 4 cars I've ever own this one has had the least about stuff done to it. I hope that this last too.

Not saying that others don't have fuck ups. I'm just saying so far I'm in the clear.

[r0tor]

It would be sweet if the 16x would drop into the rx8

[MrH]

This is all assuming Mazda can stick around financially until 2017. Right now,  I don't see that happening unless someone buys up a big chunk of them,  or the next 3 & 6 are both top three sellers in their respective segments.

[Onslaught]

This is all assuming Mazda can stick around financially until 2017. Right now,  I don't see that happening unless someone buys up a big chunk of them,  or the next 3 & 6 are both top three sellers in their respective segments.

SILENCE!!!!!

[Secret Chimp]

I think Mazda will be fine if they act like a smaller company now that Ford's out of the picture.

[hotrodalex]

This is all assuming Mazda can stick around financially until 2017. Right now,  I don't see that happening unless someone buys up a big chunk of them,  or the next 3 & 6 are both top three sellers in their respective segments.

GM's managed to last for 30 years in the red, I think Mazda can hang on for 5.

[sportyaccordy]

I think Mazda will be fine if they act like a smaller company now that Ford's out of the picture.

Small companies that don't sell $300K cars dont seem like viable business models. I love Mazda, I'm rooting for Mazda, but its not looking good right now. Mitsubishi has the backing of its other operations. Same with Subaru. All the other Japanese companies have the volume + coverage to keep pushing. I hate to say it but getting away from Ford might not have been in their long term interest. Though on the flip side Saab was killed by its GM ties.

Who knows though. You could have said the same about Hyundai or Kia not even 10 years ago. Look at em now. But they figured out what sells. Mazda is making cars for folks like us, which is not a very loyal or large market.

[Onslaught]

Hopefully the Mexico plant will help. I think their sales as of late have been ok, for Mazda anyway. But they don't make enough money off them because all their cars are made in Japan. I just hope they can hold on until it's up and running.
I'm not sure what I'd do if Mazda went down the tubes. The Miata would be easy to keep because of all the thousands of them running around. The RX-8 on the other hand wouldn't be so easy in the long term. And then what do I buy?
The only other brands that make cars that I like are BMW and they cost too damn much or perhaps subaru.

I'd be fucked.

[sportyaccordy]

Buy + continually restore an FD

Why wait for something new when what you want already exists

[MexicoCityM3]

Hopefully the Mexico plant will help. I think their sales as of late have been ok, for Mazda anyway. But they don't make enough money off them because all their cars are made in Japan. I just hope they can hold on until it's up and running.
I'm not sure what I'd do if Mazda went down the tubes. The Miata would be easy to keep because of all the thousands of them running around. The RX-8 on the other hand wouldn't be so easy in the long term. And then what do I buy?
The only other brands that make cars that I like are BMW and they cost too damn much or perhaps subaru.

I'd be fucked.

The Mexico plant will help. And if worst comes to worst a BMW would be fine as lomg as you look past the usual Spin' hyperbole about them costing an arm and a leg to keep running. Not true.

[Onslaught]

Buy + continually restore an FD

Why wait for something new when what you want already exists

Parts will run out one day if Mazda is gone.

[Payman]

A $60,000 RX-7 is a very bad idea. A much better one is to produce a 200 hp Miata coupe to directly compete with the Subarions.

[Onslaught]

A 60K RX-7 will bomb. Not even I would buy one for that much. Not even if it had a dick sucker in the seat. A 30-40K RX-7 would be a better idea.

[Eye of the Tiger]

I demand four r0tors, <2000lbs, <$25K.

[MrH]

I think Mazda will be fine if they act like a smaller company now that Ford's out of the picture.

It's not that. It's not like their spending is out of control. All of their production in Japan makes them very sensitive to currency fluctuations. They're getting killed right now. Also, companies that small simply don't have the purchasing power and part sharing ability to compete in cost.

[Onslaught]

I demand four r0tors, <2000lbs, <$25K.

Your demands are unreasonable

[MrH]

By 2017, $60k won't be the same as what $60k is now.

[cawimmer430]

How do they plan on making the rotary engine more fuel efficient? By its very design it's a fuel thirsty engine. Lowering the weight of the car etc. will probably have a very small and hardly noticeable effect on fuel economy.

[Payman]

By 2017, $60k won't be the same as what $60k is now.

I figured $60k, because that's halfway between an RX-8 and Nissan GTR. The GTR (if it still exists) might cost $150,000 in 2017, and the new RX-7, $90,000. Either way, nobody will buy a Mazda at that price point. Volkswagen couldn't do it, and at a few hundred GTR's a year, neither could Nissan.