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Return of Mazda Rotary RX-9 Allegedly Set for 2020

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Mazda RX-VISION concept

When you write about Mazda coming out with a new car, one thing is likely to happen: somewhere in the comments will be an enthusiast of Mazda’s currently-discontinued rotary engines, asking Mazda to please, please just bring back the RX lineup. These enthusiasts were given a shot of hope when Mazda unveiled its RX-VISION concept a while back, confirming that, yes, the Zoom-Zoom brand is still working on rotaries, and they were further vindicated with a string of somewhat vague information on what Mazda is calling the SKYACTIV-R engine.

Well now, according to Japanese car magazine Holiday Auto, rotary-lovers can start putting money in an RX-9 piggy bank, because the board of directors has allegedly formally approved the development of a rear-wheel-drive sports car equipped with a turbocharged 1.6-liter dual-rotor SKYACTIV-R engine, weighing less than 1,300 kilograms (2,866 pounds), and launching itself around with 395 hp.


Speaking of Rotaries: Check out Jerry Seinfeld and Margaret Cho cruising in a 1967 Mazda Cosmo Sport


The new car, presumably to be called the RX-9, will most likely not be available until 2020, although Motoring expects that we will most likely see a prototype at the 2017 Tokyo Motor Show, which would be the 50th anniversary of the brand’s first rotary.

Last of all, Holiday Auto suggests that, if equipped with a leather interior and all of Mazda’s safety technology, the RX-9 would probably be priced at fewer than 8 million yen, or about $80,000 in the US.

Of course, this could all be unsubstantiated rumors, and Mazda might just have the rotary engine still quietly being worked on in the background, and the Mazda booth at the Tokyo Motor Show will just feature some more Miata concepts.

But then again, what if it’s true?


Also Still in the Works: Mazda says it still plans on bringing diesels to the US


News Sources: Motoring, AutoEvolution