Gas prices and rising insurence cost also killed Japanese sports cars. Also the only way to compete with similar european cars was to price cars it at a relitively cheaper price then european models....with just as much performance.

I personally think the RX-7 will fair much better in terms of performance oriented customers. I thought of the RX-8 as a ground breaking car for the introductory of rotary engines back into "sports car." Econoboxes sell better. I think the RX-8s appeal is more about its feel, usefulness, and price. And I recon that Mazda is trying to build off the the performance aspect of the engine by entering it in alot of races. I love the RX-8...but i feel the renisis will fair better in a lighter, shorter and wider car. It will surely shut some rotary haters up. In other words Mazda is trying to build a rotary following again and its not easy...RX-8 was the 1st step. I think the key is to keep investing in race programs and to attract more peopel into test drives. I know it wont have a problem in europe since they care more about overall balance in a sports car. But over here they want power and a a drag racing queen (lame). I think if their is a strong enough following then Mazda may keep both rotary models...but I assume both cars will not be priced similarly to compete with each other. Im looking at the RX-7 to take on the Nissan GT-R (R35) but cheaper of course...or atleast the porsche boxter.

What I dont like is this talk of a 1.5L NA Renisis...I would have hoped for a turbo version for the RX-7...I assume its because of emmissions and design aspect. I guess the engien itself was designed for NA use and only NA use...kinda sucks. But knowing Mazda anything is up in the air since each countries performance sector is different and caters to local followings.

New MX-5 (Miata) + RX-8 nose/renesis - convertible top = new RX-7

Most of the articles I've seen mentioning the bigger rotary have been 1.8L. An increase in displacement of almost 40-50% and you're looking at 360hp NA. That'll work for me.

hmmm...I read 1.5-1.6L with 300-320 hp...1.8L would be great! Im just a huge fan of turbo cars and high reving engines and a turbo car that can rev to 9000 rpm is pure sex to me. I would imagine a turbo renisis will give it better torque numbers. But I assume with a car that is probally going to be under 3000 lbs it doesnt really matter. plus I think with a turbo it will get alot more respect from some pretty subborn folks...I cant wait.

and I agree that the 7 and 8 will compliment each other. I honestly dont see the 8 going away. Maybe reduction in production numbers, because of the increase of rotary powered cars and mazda being the only one that mass produces them. but I feel the RX-7 will be in another league.

This is as much 'insider' type info as I can offer at this point: The RX8 isn't going anywhere any time soon. My boss has a good buddy who works for Mazda and he was working on parts (I believe transmission) for the next RX8.
I am also hearing rumors about 7s but then again "I see dead people" also.
Paul.

What kind of fuel economy would we be getting with a 1.8L or even 1.5L engine? Think about it....yeouch.

I neglected to point out this guy was doing this work prior to the first one coming out. That's right, he was working on the next generation before we saw the first one. It's crazy to think how far in advance all these products are being formulated and tested.
Paul.

If the MS3 has the same engine, even de-tuned, as the MS6, AND AWD, I'd seriously consider trading in the RX8 for it.

No one has provided proof that there is going to be a larger engine as far as I know.

Market this, market that.

Not to be rude or anything, but I hope Mazda either comes up with more parts for the 8, or comes up with a MS RX8 that has a more powerful engine (SC or TC or 20B'd) that would bolt right into our current 8 (Honda has a nack for this).

That's what I HOPE happens. The 8 is a capable car and I'm sure Mazda is NOT going to waste all that time$$, $$$$, and R&D$$$$.

All this talk about displacement... you guys sound like a couple of hicks talking about a 1970 Charger. This segment ( sport coupe ) is crowded. My wife and I wanted a '05 Mustang untill I found out that I couldn't fit in the back seat. Then we looked at a Neon SRT-4 until I found out that it's STILL just a neon. The WRX feels and looks cheap. Either way I wouldn't be caught dead in any of them. Take away the RX-8's rear doors and seats and I don't care how much horsepower it has. I'd be waiting for the MS6!

Bite your tongue! I have a 3-year-old and a 4-month-old... the RX8 is perfect for my needs.

You bite your tongue too. Given the choice between the hot-but-FWD 3MPS, the powerful-but-bloated-AWD 6MPS, and the balanced-but-slightly-underpowered-RWD RX8, I'll stick with the 8.

Well spoken!

Must have new RX-7........ must have...... must have......

The inference being that the RX-7 is dead but they don't know its dead?

Like I said b4 the 7 is dead. look for an rx-9 to replace the 7.

Like to see the rx8 with a 6 speed auto transmission which i believe its on its way then a Duel Sequential Gearbox would be nice with an extra 40kw by way of supercharger .

For me to give up on my current RX8 the next rotary wether it be called an RX7 or RX9 it would have to have a much better performance figure that we are or can currently achieve with forced induction from our RX8 .


cheers
michael

OK, fine. Since it sounds like Shelden is coming back, I'm in the mood to be magnanimous.

There is really no reason why Mazda couldn't offer the eight in two-seater trim. Like the Mazda 3 hatchback and the Mazda 6 sportwagon, the present 8 could be the "wagon" version. :D

Then again, if they called the two-seater version an RX-7 or even a Rotary Miata RX-5 (as a convertible), it wouldn't really matter, would it?

They wont call the next RX-7 an RX-9, ever, thats like calling the next mustang stallion. RX-7 is a name not a numerical.....thingy like bmw's 540i or 530i, an RX-7 is an RX-7 just like other cars with actual names like a corolla for instance, theres no need to change it. Also, theres a HUGE market for a RX-7, all of the RX-7 enthusiasts. The only problem is that most are poor like me, Mazda needs to make the next RX-7 modeled after the 2nd gen with a naturally asperated/ rx8 renesis motor version for 30k and a supercharged/turbo/bigger engine version for more. Thats the only way it can haul in the $$. The RX-7 club racers, addicts, etc are everywhere, if you don't believe theres a market, attend 7stock(if its continuing) or rotary revolution. Nearly everyone there wants a new RX-7

Exactly right. It's not the name, but the car itself that matters. A lightweight high performance rotary 2 seater sports car is what I'm hoping for, and it's the "RX-7" name that is associated with that kind of car.

Whether it's actually called the RX-8 coupe, RX-9, or RX-7 is up to Mazda's marketing and brand image research folks to decide. If it looks as good or better than the last RX-7 with performance to match, I'll buy one regardless of what it's called.

EDIT: But I do hope they keep the RX-7 name.

You're wrong! the RX is like the 5 from bmw. The numbers 1-8 represent the evolution of the rotary car. They won't back track so just live with it. The rx-9 will be the replacement 7 providing there is a market for one.

On the other hand, if you look at the non-rotary Mazda naming conventions, there is a history of recycled numbers. The Mazda 3 is a resurrection of the Mazda 323, bearing the same relationship to the 626 as the Mazda 6. The Mazda 5 is inheriting the Protege 5 number (even though the Mazda 3 hatch got the style).

Well, historically, you're quite wrong.

The RX-series has progressed over the past 40-some-odd years from RX-2, to RX-3, to RX-4, to RX-5, to RX-6, to RX-7, to RX-8.

However, I suppose one could make an argument that the RX-7 was so successful that its' name could be re-used rather than progress to RX-9. However I think it would be a dis-service to the evolution of the RX-7 to release a new RX-7 at a pricepoint of $30,000. It certainly wouldn't be a respectable evolution of the model, as there's little chance of it being on the same competitive level as the FDs were back in their day.

First off, the market of RX-7 enthusiasts isn't that big. Not in the grand scheme of automobiles anyhow. Big cities will have weekly meets for various types of cars that would dwarf the size of Rotary Revoltion. Secondly, a large portion of that market are satisfied (or even more satisfied) with the already-existing RX-8, making the remaining market rather small in the big picture.

There's no doubt there's a market for a true coupe. But certainly not one big enough for just a coupe to replace the much more widely appealing RX-8.

By the way, why does mazda have a Mazda 5 and an MX-5. Kind of confusing.

[QUOTE=Sigma]Well, historically, you're quite wrong.

The RX-series has progressed over the past 40-some-odd years from RX-2, to RX-3, to RX-4, to RX-5, to RX-6, to RX-7, to RX-8.

QUOTE]

Yes, but Mazda stuck with the RX-7 name for over 20 of those years -- with three different editions/models.