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Mazda halts production of the RX-8 rotary-engine sports car

Mazda Motor Corp. has canceled production of its RX-8 rotary engine sports car, citing falling sales and stringent global emissions standards.

Production in Hiroshima, Japan, ended in early July and global sales of the car will conclude later this year.

The RX-8 and the three generations of the RX-7 that preceded it have long been the foundation the brand's fun-to-drive aura. The car's high-revving 1.3-liter, twin-rotor rotary engine produces 232 hp at 8,500 rpm--a big punch in a relatively small package.

But Mazda sold just 1,134 RX-8s last year, a 49 percent decline from 2009. Sales through July this year were down another 21 percent.

Read more: http://www.autoweek.com/article/2011082 ... z1VobLkwYs

A sad day indeed. I hope they at least keep making engines and spare parts. Damn you CAFE and emissions regulations.

That is sad. Are they still making the Wankel in any vehicles? Or was the RX-8 the only one?

That was the only one, however Mazda is not abandoning the rotary, as they say.

They're focussing their time and money on the new Skyactiv platform, engines, and transmissions. If this succeeds, they will definitely go back to developing the rotary engine.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOEZZZZZZZ!

I was never a fan of the RX-8. I understand it's uniqueness and cult following, but they never did anything for me. I personally think they are overpriced for what you get. I do like the FD RX-7s though.

On a side note, they should put the wankel in the MX-5 and see what happens.

I have driven an RX-8 (Jastreb's) and I loved it. I quite frankly flogged the piss out of it in the mountains. It was amazing. I went from indifference to drooling over them.

watkins wrote:I have driven an RX-8 (Jastreb's) and I loved it. I quite frankly flogged the piss out of it in the mountains. It was amazing. I went from indifference to drooling over them.