Mazda is bringing the Wankel rotary engine back into play, to be unveiled under the hood of the MX-30 in January

Mazda ditched the Wankel engine in 2012 when it discontinued the RX-8 model. The return will come as part of a new push for the hitherto electric-only MX-30 crossover, but in a different role. It will no longer serve as the sole unit, but will become part of a plug-in hybrid system, the automaker confirmed.

Apart from the austere announcement and the driving logo consisting of the typical rotary unit shape and the letter “e”, the Japanese have only hinted that the internal combustion engine will serve as a generator for charging the battery.

Such a solution should theoretically exploit the best promises of the Wankel engine, i.e. high efficiency at constant speed with linear torque. The fact that the engine speed is controlled by the ECU and not by the driver could also help improve reliability, furthermore, when recharging from the mains, the driver should be able to tackle short journeys without starting the internal combustion engine .

The new MX-30 unit will reach the European market in the spring of this year.

In the Wankel engine, a triangular piston rotates in an oval housing without the need for a crank mechanism. Intake, compression, expansion and exhaust take place in the chambers, while the piston edges open and close the intake and exhaust passages without the need for manifolds. The engine was invented by Felix Wankel in 1954. Despite attempts in small series by, for example, NSU or Citroën, Mazda has taken the technology to the next level on racing circuits and in production cars RX-7 and RX-8.