....Hey, I'm wondering if where missing something here.

How do you think Ford is going to look at all this for the future of the rotary..

....even if there has been a deficiency in HP due to.....maybe something we don't even know yet why (ECU change at last minute to meet emission and ticking us all off).

....do you want to see the rotary never again?

I love this thing and I'd love Mazda to have the chance to keep improving it.

Tell me what you think.

I think that they will look at it soley as a numbers game. How many did they sell? How quickly did they sell them? Do people still want them?

I don't know if they would even care about what people write on a forum.

The FD went away after sales dropped like a rock.. of course the yen was moving against us so it kinda jacked the price WAY up too..

I will be shocked if there is a roatry car 5 years from now, but I hope I'm wrong...

I think it's a numbers game too. I even don't think Ford cares if it's a rotary or not. And I don't think a few of us will determine their decisions. If they sell what they produce then the future should be bright.

I too hope IkeWRX is wrong. I don't want to see the demise of the rotary, however if, unfortunately that happens, I may be owning a limited editon vehicle. It would be unfortunate for those that are looking forward to the RX-7's return, and it would be a shame if that happens. Only Mazda and/or Ford can keep it alive.

I fear that too many enthusiasts may be holding out for the next 7. And that will effect the numbers game, slightly, but still every sale counts. Just like how some members have stated they are waiting for the '05 model. Mazda's rotary needs all the first year purchases it can get.

I too would rather have an RX-7, but I also realize that the only way to bring back the 7 is to contribute and purchase an 8 - our only new-car rotary alternative anyway.

i think the rotary is strictly an enthusiast engine and unless they come up with something revolutionary like the 8 (4 true doors, 4 true seats) there's almost no point in getting a rotary...plus the future of engines is electric...as we move to a more ecologically conscious society, rotaries just aren't the way to go...

also, if the only company out there supporting the rotary is Mazda and they continuously screw up in a big BIG way then there's absolutely no future for the rotary...

GO MAZDA!

I would like Mazda to keep developing the rotary.. but the engine does have two rather large strikes against it, emissions and fuel economy. Fuel economy can be overlooked but depending on how tough the new standards become the rotary might have issues passing those standards.
I'm still curious how the current Renesis develops, clearly there are some problems with top end power and possible fuel economy issues along with fuel richness, and all three might be related. If Mazda can "find" the hp improve the fuel economy then I wouldn't be against an RX-7.

Way I figure it this is the last gas based car I will own. I plan to keep it until hydrogen fuel cell cars are available and switch to that. Considering that the major problem with hydrogen right now is how to convert all the existing stations to be able to handle it, I think 10 years is a reasonable estimate.

So I dont worry about it :D

I could be wrong, but 10 years sounds very optimistic. The oil lobbies are among the strongest of forces in politics today.

I would love to see the rotary in more vehicles than just the higher end stuff. I miss the days when you could get an RX-3, 4, or truck...

If Mazda can produce a 1.3 liter motor that can produce - 'er - over 200hp while meeting US emissions standards, they certainly could produce them putting out 160 - 180hp and get better gas mileage for cars like the Protege (soon to be Mazda 3) or the Mazda 6.

I have no idea how expensive the rotary is for Mazda to produce, so maybe it's cost prohibitive right now, but I am hopeful for the future. The rotary is seriously light and has a very small footprint so it seems like it could make just about any car better in the weight and weight distribution areas.

A rotary Miata is about the only thing that could make me sell my current one.

Originally posted by Red Devil
I could be wrong, but 10 years sounds very optimistic. The oil lobbies are among the strongest of forces in politics today.

Hey, I could be wrong too of course. But in these days of global communications if some other country that ISNT dominated by them (like most country's that dont produce and have weak economies) comes out with something that works, there's gonna be a huge amount of people pushing for it (so they can build the new empire, so to speak).

Electric cars are pretty non-existant here in the US, but the mexican governemnt has been pushing for electric car developement for years. Most downtown areas are now blocked off from commuter traffic to avoid more damage to historic buildings and such, and only electric people movers (buses basically) are allowed to move around over there. They also provide HUGE tax breaks for anybody trying to market electric cars to the public.

So I dont think hydrogen fuel cell's will be an american first thing, but it will be next I beleive.

The FD went away after sales dropped like a rock.. of course the yen was moving against us so it kinda jacked the price WAY up too..
The FD never ceased Japan production until August 2002. It was just not imported after MY95 due to obstacles such as Yen/Dollar exchange rates, tightened US emissions, NHTSA crash testing, OBD-II diagnostics mandated by the US, and a declining overall interest in Sports cars/GT's in general when enthusiasts now raising families hopped aboard the SUV craze(thankfully now waning). It was market disinterest affecting all makers of sports cars, not singling out the rotary engine as an alternate engine platform only. Although the car was definitely over-engineered and ahead of its time.
;)

Supposedly, they have been using an alcohol based fuel in Brazil for over a decade - I'm speaking of a mixture that is at least 90% ethanol or something of that nature.

Maybe it's just a hoax, maybe not.

I know there is some kind of Diesel made of vegetal oil. It is supposed to be extremely easy to distill; however, who wants its car smelling like a french fries basket afterall??

---EDIT---

It is called BioDiesel....here is a link:
http://www.biodiesel.com/