Tirminyl

+1.

rotary crazy

mazda should let a bomb go, make a 2600lbs, supercharge renesis Kabura with 300 hp and lets see what happens

its so fumn to dream

Renesis_8

It'll be awesome if two rotary-powered cars is part of their sustainable zoom zoom plan.

I am thinking hard, on what innovations could mazda do to the rotary to make it more fuel efficient, more horsepower, while burning cleaner? We know DISI will make it, but that alone wont solve the problem. Hydrogen... not in 2010 for sure, aluminum rotary, light weight, shaves 50-100pounds off?

It seems the only logical and easiest way to do it is to make the entire car lighter weight. We'd have enough power from a sub 300hp powerplant, achieve good 0-60, a blast to drive, and fuel efficient.

I hope they can keep it weighting same as the MX-5 (convertible is always heavier), and a little larger. Make it a two seater. Well....... all this brainstorming, and the result is the Kabura.... lol


edit: it says next generation rotary in the zoom zoom plan, it is acceptable to call an all aluminum rotary a next generation rotary even if it retains the same port shapes as the renesis!
________
black Webcam

rotarygod

Well the Renesis is considered a next generation over the older rotaries and the main difference is the exhaust port location so I'd say that an all aluminum direct injected rotary would qualify as new.

There are 2 ways to make a performance car. The first is to keep it heavy and larger and give it more power. If you are using a smaller engine this means that the engine is stressed more. This way is also more expensive and less fuel efficient. The other way is to take a hint from Lotus. Produce a lightweight purpose built sports car. This is cheaper. It also doesn't need the ultimate power levels to make it fast. This make the engine more reliable. Gas mileage goes up, emissions go down, everyone is happy. If the car were 2500 lbs and had a small turbo or supercharger on the Renesis that even gave it only 250 honest horsepower with a wide strong powerband, it would be damn fast.

Mazda, I hope you are listening. You want to know what people want? Here it is! We don't want that ugly concept crap you've been showing us lately (except for the Kabura).

Design1stCode2nd

Speculation:
A Kabura, RX7 and RX8 are not going to happen. If you want a small 2 seat coupe buy the Miata Hardtop. The RX8 will get a DI rotary and be the no compromise 4-door sports car. The Kabura called whatever RX7, etc will be a lightweight 2700-2900 lb with either the Renesis or 2.3l DISI. Then you have the practical sports car and the purpose built performance halo car. Mazda isn't big enough to support 3 sports cars and the miata.

BaronVonBigmeat

The funny thing is, Mazda already manufactures everything you'd need for a serious sports car, although an improved rotary would be icing on the cake. Just make a fixed hardtop NC, load it up with Mazdaspeed bumpers and sways, and insert rotary. Scott of Mazsport says its the easiest swap he's ever done. I mean yeah, there isn't much demand for a 2-seat rotary car, but we're talking about off the shelf parts here. If they can manage to squeeze in the 3+1 seating of Kabura, then there's no real reason to keep building the RX-8 (unless maybe you want to upsize it significantly so it's as spacious as a Camry or Maxima).

chickenwafer

iTrader: (9)

I would personally like to see the rotary put in a few other Mazda vehielces as well. An idea would be to contuine the RX-8 with a makeover, and then launch an all-new RX-7 with the new aluminum DISI rotary engine, possibly with a small turbo, and keep weight of the RX-7 under 2500 pounds through the extensive use of aluminum, fiberglass and carbon fiber.
Come on Mazda! The RX-8 will contuine to sell and be your "bread n butter" rotary vehicle, while the RX-7 is for the true rotary and sports car enthusiasts. I would buy one in a heart beat, pretty much reguardless of price (unless it's over $50k, but I doubt it would be that high!)

shaunv74

I'd still buy the 8 because I've had a 2 seater and it doesn't work for me as a primary car. Either way I want the new rotary coming in 2010!! Whatever it is I want it!! Whatever all the naysayers say on this thread IT IS COMING!!

takahashi j

iTrader: (2)

I think it would be awesome if they had the miata, RX8 and "RX7" in the lineup at the same time. It would be a milestone in mazda history. However, there arent many car manufacturers out there that have two sports cars in their lineup, let alone three. I dont think the miata is going anywhere soon bc there's just too much of a following there. Mazda will probably do one of two things:

1. If they can handle having 3 sports cars in their lineup, then have the miata, the kabura + renesis (to keep the price point low, weight down and fuel efficiency up), and a redesigned 2010 RX-8 + DISI renesis

or

2. A slightly larger Kabura with the DISI next gen renesis is going to replace the RX-8 in 2010, and have the miata still zooming around too.

Design1stCode2nd

Well if they can have 4 crossovers CX7, 9, Tribute, CX5 (coming) then why not a roadster, 4 door RX8 and 2 door RX7?

mtrevino

That's an interesting point... in May or June we should compare the sales of the CX-7 and CX-9, and see how they would stack up against the MX-5 + RX-8.

I'm not sure what I would be trying to illustrate though, the SUV sales would be higher of course, that's why there would be 4 of them in the future. Having three different niche sportcar options may not improve sales much. It could be only X number of people are wanting to buy a sportscar, and now have more choices... not more sport car choices bring in more sales.

I dunno,
michael

benh

I don't know about anyone here, but what if!!! THREE ROTOR Renenis! I thought SpeedSource is running their RX8 with a 20B. Could Mazda all new Rotory be a three Rotor Renesis??? I don't know, maybe!!!

Tirminyl

No such thing as a 3 rotor Renesis. Could they be using Renesis rotors? Possibly. All advertising.

ASH8

Could not agree more BVB!..
When the NC MX-5 came out I recall someone here saying (Mazda) that a Rotary WON"T fit..I thought then...CRAP, the 5 IS the perfect fit for a Rotary, and I agree with Design Code also, there is a limit to the number of "sports cars" Mazda can make without serious larger capacity/production facilities, then there is the marketing of the desire for "MORE", because in the end there will always be a model that will suffer sales wise because their is too much Candy in the shop.
In the US Mazda is only 1.5% of the car market.
In Australia Mazda is 8% a HUGE difference and we have a very similar if not larger Candy Store.

RoXanneBlack8

if anyone cares, the pic on the speed website IS a hydrogen renesis. i can see the hydrogen injector on the top of the rotor housing.


the only diff in the next rx8s engine will be DI. it will not be turbo'd.

the kabura, if it ever comes out, will be a 4 cylinder and prolly me called some sort of MX-number type...mx-6, mx-3 whatever.

we can dream all we want of twin turbo 4 rotor miatas all we want but its not practical.

to stay conservative, it seems like the next rx8 will remain 4 freestyle doors, 4 seats and direct injected....thats it.

and if thats all it is...........

ill be in line to get one

shaunv74

^^amen.

tiltmode43

iTrader: (15)

Party Pooper! I want my rotary miata!

chickenwafer

iTrader: (9)

I have to agree the chances of a turbo rotary in the US again are slim to none. The FD is too stained in people's minds and tarnished the turbo rotaries repuation in the US. But I do think Mazda regained groun with the RX8. They have already sold hundreds of thousands of RX-8's. I remember a figure last year of 100k. Last or year somewhere around there, can't remember. That's really good for a nitche sports car with zero advertising.
I'm still dreaming of the next-gen RX-7. I remember, also, when the RX-8 concept debuted and the engineers at Mazda were talking about the RX-7, they were adamit about the fact that the RX-8 was not an RX-7 replacement and they were hoping to contuine on the RX-7 lineage at some other point in time. Who knows? All I know is I want one! Not to mention if Mazda is using the considerable amount of funds and time to design an all-new rotary, it must mean they have something special planned for it. Or they could just stuff it in the redesigned 2010 RX-8.

rotarygod

Yup. It's also only a 4 port engine. You can tell from the manifold.

Mazmart

iTrader: (12)

What website are you guys talking about? Did I miss a link?

New Yorker

Me too! Whatever else Mazda does/doesn't do, an 8 like the one we have now—plus DI (and a real oil pressure gauge)—is what I want most.

playdoh43

often times what people want and drive sales is very different from what a few enthusiasts like us want.

crimson-rain

Say, what's in that Speedsource RX-8? A 3 rotor version of the Renesis? That thing makes what, 450-480hp NA? Well, Mazda, detune that engine to about 300hp and leave us, as in aftermarket, tuners, and enthusiasts, "some room and realiability" to pump those numbers back up. That way, Mazda, you will be able to not only sell the car just based on the uniqueness of a 3 rotor production engine (something that no one would EVER guess, much less see coming), and have more free advertisement and media exposure because of the aftermarket seeing the ability to gain more power and better numbers. More this, more that. All from one extra rotor, ~300hp, and >=2900lbs.

crimson-rain

^ make it at roughly the same price as the current 8 and you, Mazda, just destroyed competition.

Endgame

I think they are running a NA 20b actually. I love my 8. I plan to keep it until the wheels fall off. I want Mazda to make another RX7; that is where my money lies...