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Mazda rotary engine returning in 2019 as EV range extender, exec says

It seems that a range-extended Mazda electric car with a rotary engine is for real, and coming sooner than expected. An automotive news outlet from the Netherlands called AutoRAI spoke with Mazda's European vice president for sales and customer service. He told the outlet that Mazda has an electric car coming In 2019, and it will be available with a rotary engine as a generator. Among the details about this car and its powertrain, he said it would be similar in size to the Mazda3, and it might even be a crossover. It will also be based on Mazda's upcoming modular small car platform. The rotary engine will only generate electricity and will only have one rotor. Not only that, it will be mounted horizontally. This is particularly unusual as every rotary Mazda has had the engine mounted upright. We've reached out to Mazda representatives in the U.S. and Europe. An American representative couldn't comment on what type of range-extender options may be coming in the future. We say this specifically because Mazda has confirmed previously that an EV with an available range extender is coming in 2019. We have not heard back from a European representative at the time of publishing. Despite this, a return of the rotary as a range extender looks probable. Besides the dates fitting with Mazda's electric plans, there are other tidbits from the past that support the idea. Mazda has been experimenting with the idea for years, and even created a functioning Mazda2 EV with a rotary range-extender. The company has also filed patents in the U.S. for the setup as recently as last year, and there have been other recent rumors. Related Video: Featured Gallery Mazda RX-Vision Concept: Tokyo 2015 View 11 Photos Image Credit: Autoblog Auto News Green Rumormill Mazda Technology Emerging Technologies Electric Mazda rotary mazda ev rotary range extender

Mazda taps Americas head as CEO to raise game in its biggest market

TOKYO — Mazda has named the head of its Americas operations as its next president and CEO after its current chief steps down in June, as Japan's fifth-largest automaker seeks to boost profitability in North America, its biggest market. The company said on Friday that Masamichi Kogai will step down and be replaced by current vice president Akira Marumoto, who now oversees operations in the Americas. The changes are effective June 26 after Mazda's annual shareholders' meeting. Mazda, which has global annual sales of around 1.6 million vehicles, has enjoyed a run of rising vehicle sales, expanding in markets particularly in North America, which accounts for nearly 30 percent of total sales. But as one of Japan's smaller automakers and a tiny player globally, it faces growing competition in the United States, where market growth has slowed, and where the company's profitability has sagged due to higher discounting and slowing demand for sedans. The maker of the MX-5 Miata roadster and the reputed Skyactiv gasoline engines also faces higher costs to stay competitive in an industry which is being disrupted by new technologies, including self-driving cars and electric vehicles. Marumoto, a 38-year company veteran with a background in engineering who described himself as having a "strict" work ethic and admitted to being "short-tempered" at times, previously led Mazda's corporate planning and product strategy divisions before heading its Americas operations. He said that growing sales and improving profitability in the North American market would be his biggest priority, along with expanding the company's brand image as an innovative car maker. "Given the rapid changes occurring in the auto industry at the moment it's often asked whether a small company like us will be OK," Marumoto, 60, told reporters at a briefing in Tokyo. "But before we even consider this we need to show our strengths, and what makes us different if we want to grow our brand." Kogai, who became Mazda's president and CEO in 2013, will be following the footsteps of his two immediate predecessors who also held the top job for five years each. He will still be with the automaker and become its chairman, the company said. Earlier this year, Mazda announced that it would invest in a new, $1.6 billion plant in the U.S. state of Alabama as a joint venture with Toyota.

Toyota, Mazda partner to build EVs at new $1.6 billion U.S. plant

TOKYO — Toyota and Mazda plan to build a $1.6 billion U.S. assembly plant, the two said on Friday, as part of an alliance that will also see the Japanese automakers jointly develop electric vehicle technologies. The two will take small stakes in each other as part of the tie-up: Toyota, the world's second-largest automaker by vehicle sales last year, will take a 5 percent share of Mazda, extending its dominance in Japan's auto sector. Mazda will take a 0.25 percent share of its larger rival. The plant, something of a surprise at a time of overcapacity in the U.S. market, will be a boost to U.S. President Donald Trump, who campaigned on promises to increase manufacturing and expand employment for American autoworkers. The plant will be capable of producing 300,000 vehicles a year, with production divided between the two automakers, and employ about 4,000 people. It will start operating in 2021. The electric vehicles cooperation, meanwhile, comes as the tightening of global emissions regulations prompts more automakers to develop battery powered cars, as the industry struggles with hefty research costs and intense competition from technology companies over technology like self-driving cars. As part of the agreement, Toyota and Mazda will also work together to develop in-car information technologies and automated driving functions. Toyota, Japan's biggest auto company, has been forging alliances with smaller Japanese rivals for several years, effectively engineering a loose consolidation of the Japanese auto sector. It already owns a 16.5 percent stake in Subaru, Japan's No. 6 automaker, with which it also has a development partnership. Toyota is also courting compact car maker Suzuki to cooperate on R&D and parts supply as Toyota seeks to tap its smaller rival's expertise in emerging Asian markets. A stake in Mazda may also prevent future incursions by tech companies, one analyst said. "For a technology company which lacks the expertise in making cars, Mazda could look like a very interesting acquisition. They're very good, they're not too expensive. Maybe Toyota realizes this," CLSA managing director Chris Richter said. "By buying a 5 percent stake, Toyota takes Mazda off the table rather than having it sit out there like a free agent which could someday be used against them." COROLLA PRODUCTION SHIFT Mazda stands to gain from a deal that gives the small automaker a production foothold in the United States.