Leaf

Make
Nissan
Segment
Hatchback

We know. There've been plenty of false starts and rumors regarding the possibility of a reborn, rotary-powered Mazda RX-7. Or would it be called the RX-9? Honestly, we just sort of gave up hope of this project ever coming to fruition after repeated statements of denial coming from Mazda itself. But, according to Autocar, an RX-8 successor is still very much in development and will launch in 2020 – just in time to coincide with Mazda's 100th anniversary. Should we be skeptical here?

Possibly, but considering the news source itself and a few other factors, this could be the real deal. Basically, Mazda currently has a team of 30 or so engineers developing rotary engine projects. Combined with utilizing various lightweight building materials and the new MX-5's platform as a base, a high-powered, low-torque engine would certainly be interesting. Mazda wants to make full use of the MX-5's architecture as much as possible in order to help deflect its development costs. Bottom line: a new RX-7 is technically possible. Mazda consistently stuck with the rotary engine for decades and having a new, fully-modern one in time for its centennial would be something quite special.