Hmm Skyactive-R you say? Rotory you say? Hmmm..

http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/motor-shows-tokyo-motor-show/mazda-confirms-new-rotary-engined-sports-car-concept

Discuss..

I'm excited, but I'm equally unsure it will ever see a dealer showroom.

I thought a series hybrid with a rotary acting as a generator could work well, but it looks like what they're doing is a good old fashioned rotary-powered sports car, which is a nice novelty and I'm glad there's going to be one in production, but a rotary makes less and less sense for a street vehicle over time compared to the other options out there.

It's also worth considering that Mazda must have been working on this while gas was expensive as all hell and there was no sign of lower prices in sight

I like it. I like anything cool that I might get to drive some day.

So they're bringing out a concept car, that their marketing department will have us pretend has an engine in it, that they'll call SkyActiv-R if they can ever make it work.

Debbie Downer wrote: So they're bringing out a concept car, that their marketing department will have us pretend has an engine in it, that they'll call SkyActiv-R if they can ever make it work.

Ohh a concept.. Awesome.

They totally happen.

Hopefully if Mazda actually brings out a fastback sportscar again, they'll just put a Skyactiv 4-cyl with the turbo in it. No interest in Rotary here. In a small RWD spotscar a 4-cyl non-rotary is perfectly sufficient, especially if it's turbo.

See: BRZ and Miata (add turbo for more fun)

I'll believe it, and consider it, when I see it in production. Rotaries are gaining a lot of interest as generators as of late. I'd be interested to see one in a car again, one that looks like an updated FD3S that is.

Here is possible proof in a few hours.

New Mazda coupe

I'm going to blaspheme here and say that I'd like to see Mazda do a sports car with a roof, regardless of what engine it comes with.

I failed to see any news in that news. They coined a new phrase "Sky-active R".

I will be honest, I never figured out what exactly "Sky-active" meant in the first place, so adding an R just fails to make me do a happy dance.

It's just the rotary we all know ans fear put in a new car. A confirmed concept car. Maybe.

I’m not ready to get all excited about the next generation rotary given that the Renesis engines started dropping like flies at 100K miles.

I think somebody needs to go all Ricky Ricardo on Mazda and say…

Head In The Sand wrote:

Debbie Downer wrote: So they're bringing out a concept car, that their marketing department will have us pretend has an engine in it, that they'll call SkyActiv-R if they can ever make it work.

What a great gif to go with that fluffer of an adverti...I mean...article. Thanks!

Don't get me wrong. I think it's super neat that they've still got two engineers chained up in a janitors closet next to the industrial furnace, buried deep in the bowels of their headquarters, hard at work making a rotary that doesn't have all of the inherent failings of a rotary...But that's the only thing of value that they've actually told us so far about the matter.

I expect their teased upcoming concept car to be otherwise, very typically concept-sportscar-ish...Visually 'bitchin', with various hypothetical technologies, but little to no physical substance beyond a few potential styling cues that could find their way on to future models.

I hate to interrupt all the negativity, but Mazda is probably the most happening Japanese car company right now, so it's not like we're hearing this from Mitsubishi or Isuzu. Maybe, just maybe they've actually made a breakthrough or three. I for one find it amazing that nobody's improved on the reciprocating engine yet.

Has everyone forgotten about the Furai? That was a concept and was tearing up race tracks until Top Gear burnt it to the ground.

Kreb wrote: I hate to interrupt all the negativity, but Mazda is probably the most happening Japanese car company right now, so it's not like we're hearing this from Mitsubishi or Isuzu. Maybe, just maybe they've actually made a breakthrough or three. I for one find it amazing that nobody's improved on the reciprocating engine yet.

Thank you!

And I, for one, am heartened to hear this good news.

Half an hour to go!

http://insidemazda.mazdausa.com/mazda-news/mazda-new-sports-car-concept/

1988RedT2 wrote:

Kreb wrote: I hate to interrupt all the negativity, but Mazda is probably the most happening Japanese car company right now, so it's not like we're hearing this from Mitsubishi or Isuzu. Maybe, just maybe they've actually made a breakthrough or three. I for one find it amazing that nobody's improved on the reciprocating engine yet.

Thank you! And I, for one, am heartened to hear this good news.

The way I see it, anything new that's not a jellybean shaped, hybrid powered, crossover thingamabob and is actually aimed squarely at enthusiasts is a good thing. It feels like we're losing diversity in the automotive market place and I'm happy to see Mazda keep a unique piece of their heritage alive.

I wouldn't say no to a hybrid rotary - assuming it's done like the big 3 supercars. Use that electric motor to make up for the lack of torque down low in the rpm range.

Driven 5 wrote “I think it's super neat that they've still got two guys (blah, blah, blah) hard at work making a rotary that doesn't have all of the inherent failings of a rotary.”

Holy E36 M3 buddy, that was harsh…bhahaha.

Look, if you lack the coordination to keep it in the torque band, go get something with a Cummings and if your Alzheimer’s is so advanced that you can’t remember to add oil, go get a Hondota, and if you can’t afford the gas bill, go see if VW will slip you a TDI with a back dated sales receipt.

I was well aware of these “inherent failings” going in and I happily, happily, happily accepted every one of them in exchange for the “inherent advantages”.

The only reason I’m no longer BFF’s with a rotary is that I now need four seats and the Renesis has an unacceptably short engine life.

Kreb wrote: Maybe, just maybe they've actually made a breakthrough or three.

I certainly hope they have...But that still doesn't change the fact that they have already admitted that they don't actually know yet how to make the engine that would hypothetically be powering this concept car.

Driven5 wrote:

Kreb wrote: Maybe, just maybe they've actually made a breakthrough or three.

I certainly hope they have...But that still doesn't change the fact that they have already admitted that they don't actually know yet how to make the engine that would hypothetically be powering this concept car.

I read it as they've got it pretty well figured out, but want to sweat the details so as not to piss off their customer base with a flawed offering. But we're talking tea leaves here.

NOHOME wrote: I will be honest, I never figured out what exactly "Sky-active" meant in the first place, so adding an R just fails to make me do a happy dance.

If i remember correctly, and i usually don't, Sky-active is just their marketing nonsense for similar tech in all new engines. Direct injection, higher compression, reduced friction, etc... I think they went a bit more extreme with the compression and the pistons are shaped pretty cool looking (like donuts. mmmm donuts...).

They've been working on a new rotary for a long time, it used to be called the 16x I think. About the only thing i think it shares with the other skyactive stuff is direct injection, but they changed the dimensions of everything. The renesis still had the same dimensions as all 13b's, but not the 16x. Since you can't 'stroke' a rotary, they changed some ratio in the engine so it traces a slightly different peanut shape, made it a bit bigger, but made the rotors narrower. Those two things supposedly added some mid range torque while reducing emissions.

I'd have to read up a bit to remember exactly why, but i think it's to do with the surface area in the combustion chamber compared to the volume of the chamber. The greater surface area/volume ratio of the old engine caused problems because the flame front would get near the chamber walls and stop burning, hence lots of fuel that doesn't get burned, neccessitating the trailing spark plug and the renesis's side exhaust ports (so fuel is recirculated instead of just blown out the pipe). Add direct injection to the changes so the now increased volume has less fuel everywhere except by the spark plug, so there is less along the walls of the chamber. More fuel gets burned, less gets blown out the tail pipe, or recirculated like in the renesis.

BTW the videos posted above are now live