Mazda's Vision of the Future is Rotary Powered

Don’t expect to see the Mazda RX-Vision Concept head to production unless it has a rotary engine.

Speaking at the 2016 J.D. Power Automotive Marketing Roundtable, vice president-marketing at Mazda North American Operations, Russell Wager, gave a glimpse at the Japanese automaker’s focus for the future. The company intends to move towards “Mazda premium,” but that doesn’t mean it will debut a pricey model. Instead, Mazda plans to move upmarket to reach out more to affluent customers. In other words, Mazda isn’t going to go luxury, but it does intend to make vehicles that people will pay more for.

SEE ALSO: Mazda RX-9 Reportedly Greenlit but Won’t Arrive Until 2020

But automotive enthusiasts want some sort of news about the potential revival of the RX nameplate, which has been rumored since the RX-Vision Concept debuted at last year’s Tokyo Motor Show. Wager showed an image of the RX-Vision Concept, saying that it is the “vision for Mazda’s future.” Following that statement, Wager conducted a Q&A session and said, “That car that I showed you on screen is called the RX-Vision,” said Wager. “And any time we use the word RX, it usually means there’s a rotary engine, so, for both of us, I sure hope we make that car as well.”

Later on, Wager confirmed to WardsAuto that the RX-Vision would essentially not head to production unless there’s a rotary engine powering it. “That car wouldn’t come to market unless it has a rotary engine. That’s what they are working on.”

There have been rumors and speculation that the RX-9 has been greenlit, but won’t arrive until 2020. Wager did say lightly that there’s a waiting list for those interested in the production RX-Vision, but wouldn’t confirm that the car is going into production.

You can watch Wager’s presentation in the video above, although the bit on the RX-Vision Concept doesn’t start until around the 1 hour, 12 minute marker.

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