cars news 10: Report: Mazda Approves Rotary-Powered RX-9 for Launch in 2020

If you’ve been waiting on that new car purchase in hope of a new rotary-powered sports car from Mazda, it looks like you might just get your chance in a few years. According to a report from Motoring, Mazda bigwigs “formally” approved both the production and design of the next-gen RX.

Motoring expects the unrevealed, unnamed car to carry the “RX-9” badge, contrary to previous reports predicting the return of the RX-7 nameplate. Motoring cites an older report from a Japanese publication, which claims the RX-9 will debut as a prototype in 2017, and in production form in 2019. The car is slated to arrive on dealer lots in 2020.

Again, we have had no official confirmation from Mazda, so the design, power, performance, and specs are completely unknown at this point. However, reports regarding performance and horsepower metrics have slipped out, pegging the output right around 400 hp with a weight around 2,800 pounds.

Power will probably come from a twin-turbocharged 1.6-liter twin-rotor rotary engine, sending power to the rear wheels through either a manual or automatic transmission. Visually, look for cues lifted from the Mazda RX-Vision concept from earlier this year.

Look for more updates on the return of the rotary-powered Mazda RX sports car as we inch closer to 2020.

Source: Motoring