gwilliams6

Hey folks, Europe is an important market, but not Mazda's biggest for rotaries. If the new Rx is emissions compliant in all 50 states in the US, and is indeed a 300hp sports cars, then Mazda would gladly sell it here in the states, whether or not it sells in Europe.

Remember almost every car manufacturer has some different cars being sold in different markets around the world. Not every car model is sold worldwide. That has been the case for decades.

bse50

USA was a pitfall as big as europe with the rx8. I they can't sell the next car globally they simply won't sell it at all.
The States were a big failure for the fd... wonder why they kept selling it elsewhere 'till 2002, something that didn't happen across the pond.

alnielsen

iTrader: (4)

The FD was a failure because of the price. It was a $40K car over 15 yrs ago. That would be equivalent to what today, $65K? There wasn't that much value there.

Mazmart

iTrader: (12)

The issues are CARB LEVIII related. That's as much as I can say on that matter. I am not sure how close the Euro requirements are but it would be interesting to compare.

Paul.

MattMPS

for me HC is the main problem (and obviously fuel consumption). not NOx IMHO, Wankel engine has a big EGR inside it's cycle...

this is a comprehensive tabel of levels required

http://www.dieselnet.com/standards/eu/ld.php

nycgps

iTrader: (1)

priced was one of the most important "failure"

the car was good but ... 39K for a fully loaded FD in 1993 ... yep, I saw the Window Sticker that shows all option and I was like WOW.

consider in 1993 I can get a house around 100-150 K in NYC @ a really nice neighborhood ...

bse50

That's right but a Porsche with similar specs and performance numbers costed 55\60k$. People failed to understand what the rx7 really was after so many nice years of mid-level sportscar (sa22c and fc) with the same name.
However i just couldn't stand that america-centric way of thinking and had to poke my head out again.

gwilliams6

I have owned seven rotary cars since 1972, RX3, RX4 (both sedan and coupe),all three generations of RX7, first gen (later modified to race in SCCA); Turbo II; and third Gen FD (yes the sticker on my fully loaded FD was $39,000) but it could leave $50,000 Porsches behind in its dust. And now both a 2008 40th Anniversary Edition RX8 and a 2008 Mazdaspeed3 GT.

Check the actual numbers, the US is STILL the biggest single country market for any RXs. Since the new RX won't be a huge production run car anyway, the US market will be crucial for sales. If Mazda can sell it here, that will be the key, and my contacts at Mazda USA in Irvine, Calif. tell me that is the plan. Mazda will do all it can to make the new RX meet euro emissions. But right now it still needs work in this area. Mazda has solved the emission issues in the past and they will solve this one too, count on it .

MattMPS

bse50, i must agree with that. US is the biggest market for Rotary powered cars.
Here in EU it will be always "marginal", except for Germany and UK market....

olddragger

iTrader: (3)

I wonder if they are testing with pure gas or the crap stuff we have. It seems the ethanol content will be 15% now? Since they dont test for the nasty stuff that produces, maybe that could help pass the emissions?

Rumor does have the new car with a power/weight ratio of 10:1 or better Now that is very good!! We all can see Mazda is trying everything to shed weight.

bse50

No doubt on it but europe is the reason why Mazda is still in business anyway.
How many Ford fiestas were sold across europe?
The real problem is that the manufacturers have to meet such standards not only with the single cars but with their "fleet average". A rotary that brings that number too close to the limit just won't happen.
They're stuck with these new requirements, face it. It's still a step forward from the "****, it's all aluminium and it overheats" Mazda had to face but still a step behind entering production.
All these delays are also mining durability tests.

All we have to do is cross our fingers and hope that a new rotary will come out in a couple of years from now.

xsnipersgox

no, mazda 3s and china is the reason... just fyi.

in the city i am in right now, Suzhou, 300 cars are being sold a DAY, and it's not slowing down.