Mazda’s 100th anniversary is just around the corner in 2020 and it was rumored that to celebrate its centenary, Mazda would release a new rotary-powered sports car. Sadly that isn’t going to happen.

Mazda RX Vision Concept

Kiyoshi Fujiwara, Mazda’s senior managing executive officer and R&D chief revealed that Mazda does not have the money it needs to launch a new sports car by 2020.

“We cannot provide the RX-VISION to the market by 2020, because we do not have enough money to invest, to commercialize it,” Fujiwara told Motoring at the Tokyo Motor Show.

Mazda’s next big venture is the release of its new Skyactiv-X engine, which according to Fujiwara, if things go well, then there might be extra money for the new sports car.

“If we achieve success [with SKYACTIV-X] probably we can have money enough to invest in the next challenge, then we can judge to go ahead,” said Fujiwara. “It’s going to be too late to make the RX-Vision for the centennial.

So while it’s unknown if we’ll ever see another Mazda rotary-powered sports car, the rotary engine will return soon as a range extender for Mazda’s upcoming electric car in 2019. Mazda is also still working on a rotary engine without any electrification, so there is still some hope.

“Most of the rotary engine fans are still waiting for a sports car with the rotary engine, therefore we are still developing the rotary engine as a sports car. No range extender, no e-power,” Fujiwara said.

Source: Motoring