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Mazda will have a new rotary concept at Tokyo show, trying to bring it to production

Despite ending production of the rotary engine in 2012, Mazda has repeatedly insisted that it's still working on rotary engine tech, and it has continued to tease a potential future rotary car with concepts, the latest of which was the RX-Vision. The company even continues to file patents on rotary tech. It seems the company is continuing this pattern, since the vice president for Mazda's European R&D center told Auto Express that it has another rotary concept ready for this October's Tokyo Motor Show. According to Auto Express, the car expands on the groundwork laid by the RX-Vision concept. In addition to revealing the existence of the concept, the executive also reiterated the fact that there's still a team in Mazda working on the rotary engine, and people are still trying to make a business case for a new rotary sports car. Auto Express expects a production car could come in 2020. The news outlet also asked if the hypothetical car would be hybridized, and the Mazda executive didn't give much of an answer beyond it being possible, though he would prefer a purely rotary-powered car. We at Autoblog think a hybrid rotary of some sort would make the most sense. It would make for an impressive halo vehicle that could be used to promote future Mazda hybrids. This would also help with the business case side of things. An electric motor, or motors, would be highly complementary to the rotary engine as well. Electric motors produce oodles of torque from down low, which rotaries don't, and the rotary engine's high-rpm horsepower would compensate for the electric motors when they've started running out of power. Not only that, but using a hybrid powertrain could help a thirsty rotary engine meet fuel economy and emissions requirements while still producing plenty of power. A hybrid system is also more possible now that Mazda is teamed up with hybrid expert Toyota. Related Video:

2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata will rock 2.0L SkyActiv engine in US, 1.5L elsewhere

Let the speculation finally end - we know what will power the next-generation 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata, and it's not turbocharged. The US model will get a SkyActiv 2.0-liter engine and six-speed manual, while models in the rest of the world have a 1.5-liter engine, confirming earlier rumors.
Unfortunately, Mazda isn't letting loose how much power either of these mills make just yet. For sake of comparison, the current SkyActiv 2.0 in the Mazda3 produces 155 horsepower and 150 pound-feet of torque, and the 1.5-liter in the UK (and elsewhere) has about 99 hp and 110 lb-ft of twist. However, the current Miata produces 167 hp and 140 lb-ft.
But fret not droptop fans. The company's brochure from the 2014 Paris Motor Show confirms, "all available drivetrains have been specially tuned for the all-new MX-5," which at least hints at the possibility of more performance. Also, even if the numbers remain untouched, the new Miata should feel even more sporting on the open road. That's because Mazda says the new model weighs in the neighborhood of 2,200 pounds; with that in mind, the 2016 car would boast around 14.19 pounds per horsepower versus 14.85 lb/hp in the present MX-5. Progress!

Crash test videos show how rust compromises safety

These recently released Swedish videos serve as a reminder that rust isn't just a cosmetic flaw, when it comes to cars. The insurance company Folksam and the homeowner organization Villaagarnas Riksforbund gathered examples of two relatively popular, but by now rusty cars, and then performed crash tests with them at the Thatcham Research facility in Britain. The results are sobering. The rustier cars chosen for the tests were first-generation Mazda6s, cars that have a reputation for early-onset rust in salty surroundings, such as the Nordic countries in Europe or the Salt Belt in the U.S. The cars in the other end of the spectrum were fifth-generation Volkswagen Golfs, which thanks to their body treatment only really start to show rust at over ten years old. But rust isn't just on the surface, it goes bone deep. While the Mazda did decently well in Euro NCAP testing as a new car, there's now a 20 percent higher risk of death in the 2003-2008 Mazda due to the degradation of its bodyshell. In the rusty car, the chassis rail separates from the floor, the footwell ruptures, the sill gives way, the seat mountings move and the dummy's head hits the B-pillar; all important failures, despite Thatcham saying the cars actually performed better in the crashes than they expected with all the rust. But still, the corroded structure isn't able to transmit loads in the way it was originally designed to do. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. The Golf does significantly better — despite rust flakes flying when the Golf hits the wall — as the years have only caused it to lose a single point. An important thing to remember is that the cars aren't tested in comparison to corresponding new, 2018 cars: the tests are in reference to the crashworthiness standards in place when they were new. The cars' airbags inflate like they were supposed to, but on the Mazda the dummy's head bottoms out the airbag due to the car's structure failing, meaning the airbag cannot perform as designed. Driven cautiously, an older car is still mostly fine for driving around. But tests like these remind us that it's not enough that a car runs and drives, if the body has turned into Swedish knackebrod. And if you repair the visible rust and the structure underneath remains as compromised as ever, there's an ugly truth under all the bondo. Perhaps it isn't such a bad idea to have yearly roadworthiness inspections.