Should the Mazda Rotary Engine Die? Why Mazda Should Make the Miata Better Instead

In a somewhat romantic way, the Mazda rotary engine dreams have lived on, but should the automaker ditch the romance and focus on reality?

Mazda continues to tease us with rotary engine concepts while struggling to justify the costs. Here’s why the company should ditch the RX revival and pour those resources into what they already do best: building the world’s most fun roadster. With tight budgets and new engine development on the plate, betting on the Miata makes way more sense than gambling on a niche rotary sports car that might never see production.

Mazda RX sports car dreams should leave the Wankel behind

The Mazda MX-5 Miata is one of the most successful roadsters in history, making it a great place for added focus and development. Among Japanese sports cars, the Miata isn’t the fastest, but it sure is fun to drive. Instead of trying to rekindle the flame that was the rotary engine, which went out of production in 2012 with the end of the RX-8, Mazda should focus instead on building its future on the Miata, which is a popular roadster in a world that doesn’t have many small, affordable sports cars left.

The failed Mazda rotary engine experiments

Since the end of the RX-8, Mazda has attempted to justify keeping the Wankel engine around by putting it in the 2023 MX-30 E-Skyactiv R-EV and the Iconic SP concept. The engine wasn’t mechanically connected to the wheels but served as a power generator to charge the batteries. This would be a great use for such an engine, save for its penchant for being an inefficient power plant. Although Mazda seems set on chasing rotary engine production, the current financial strategy won’t allow the company to put the Iconic SP into production.

What should Mazda focus on?

Instead of bringing in an unproven vehicle with an engine that is well known for being wasteful to market, Mazda should focus instead on developing its new hybrid platform. This new setup is expected to use a new engine called the Skyactiv-Z engine, which could be a 2.5-liter gas engine paired with hybrid motors to give Mazda vehicles more power and improved efficiency. This new engine would replace the four-cylinder models currently powering Mazda vehicles, which means we might see a hybrid Miata in the future.

Transitioning upward

As Mazda works to develop this new hybrid powertrain with its 2.5-liter engine, the information learned by creating this new system will be applied to the larger inline-six engines used in its SUVs. This could make Mazda a much more efficient company across the board, with most vehicles utilizing hybrid powertrains in every vehicle, at least in the RWD-based SUVs.

Could financial tightness kill the Mazda rotary engine?

Mazda is a small automaker compared to many other brands. During 2024, it sold 1,277,578 vehicles worldwide compared to 2,200,217 for BMW. If we were to look at other legacy automakers, the numbers would be staggering. Toyota sold 10.8 million vehicles during 2024, which gives you an idea of the massive gap between automakers.

Not only does Mazda face a much tighter budget due to its size, but increasingly strict emissions regulations make the rotary engine much less practical than it’s ever been. Truthfully, the rotary engine has never been practical; it’s known to burn oil, consume large amounts of fuel, and expel unburnt fuel, which means even as a hybrid power generator, it’s a poor choice. It’s time for Mazda to end the romance of the Wankel engine for good.

Leave the Mazda rotary engine behind and improve the Miata

Imagine how much better and more fun the Mazda MX-5 Miata could be if the brand stopped trying to create a vehicle for the rotary engine. Could this car become something more, such as an MX-6 with an inline-six under the hood? Maybe the company could create some specialized models of the Miata, kind of like what Porsche does with the 911. The Miata name is already well-known globally as a well-balanced, fun, and active car that can bring pure joy to driving enthusiasts. Why not just improve what’s already working for you?

The future of the Mazda rotary engine should be bleak at best. Globally, automakers are expected to deliver vehicles that offer improved emissions, efficiency, and performance, which almost seems like a magic trick. The rotary engine doesn’t fit into this group at all, which means Mazda should leave it behind, but that might not be the direction the company takes us. Still, the financial constraints could be all it takes to keep the Wankel from making its way under another Mazda hood.