Mazda confirmed the return of its rotary engine as a range extender for its upcoming MX-30.
The MX-30 was first announced at the 2019 Tokyo Auto Show, where Mazda CEO Akira Marumoto mentioned that the line-up would be completely electric and would be released sometime in late 2020 or early 2021 in the US.
However, in a video recently streamed on YouTube regarding the MX-30, Mazda’s CEO also confirmed that a rotary engine would make its way as a range-extender by 2022 in the Japanese market. For now, Mazda only indicated that it would start testing prototypes later this year or the next but gave no further details regarding the rotary engine.
The Japanese automaker promises the range-extender to be compact, with a powerful but smooth output, which should be expected from a rotary engine. However, questions regarding its reliability and fuel-efficiency arose, as is always the case when talking about Mazda’s rotary engines. It’s very-well know that reliability and fuel-efficiency were significant issues in Mazda’s previous venture with its rotary engine in the RX-8.
With that being said, the MX-30 has been on sale as a mild hybrid in Japan, and the all-electric version being sold in Europe for a month. However, experts are still unsure when the MX-30 would land in North America or if there will be a range-extender variant offered at all.
Mazda still hasn’t confirmed of denied any information regarding this issue. Unfortunately, with the pandemic in full swing, the wait for the exciting new Japanese electric crossover, with its half-sized rear doors, single electric FWD motor, and cute design elements, could last a bit longer than initially planned.
