there will definetly be soemthing at Tokyo:)

New Autoweek says MS 3 will be same motor as MS 6, but down 18hp to 256. Also says AWD is unlikely. Debut at Frankfurt auto show in sept.

wow 256 to the front wheels, hope they put in a LSD at least!

Spill it Zoom, what'd ya know?

I only read the 1st page. If this supposed new RX7 is more affordable than the RX8, I'm buying it. And I will keep my RX8.

256hp mazda 3? maybe i should have held off on buying the 8. they really need to release a factory turbo for the 8 so i can go turbo and keep my warranty.

Don't hold your breath for the 7! The reason why Mazda went with the 8 is because Ford let them. Or else, there would already be a 4th gen 7.

dude i can only make it so plain- ther ealready is a 4th gen 7 prototype! it was due to be shown last year at ... geneve or someplace like that but was pulled in favor of some other concepts. it will be shown in the next year somewhere. if not at Tokyo then either Detroit or the next Geneva

hmm. I think that Mazda needs to broaden the offerings in another way. We know that they are working with a hydrogen powered rotary and perhaps that is the way to go to continue the existence of the rotary engine.

I think that R & D should be done to see if the rotary can handle managed ignition like Honda has done with the Odessey V6 EXL and the hybrids and too, GM. The managed system would address two issues associated with rotaries - high heat and gas mileage. If that were a workable solution, we might see use of a 3rd rotor and more horsepower with about the same gas mileage for the sport model or Mazdaspeed version per se. maybe.

I beg to differ. You have no proof other than someone elses words, which in my book doesn't count as fact.

it counts as fact to me in that the people who have told me this have always been repiable sources in the past and have no reason to lie to me when they say they have seen it.

We all must have faith and worship at the the alter of the Seven for the 4th coming. ;)

Mazda made the RX-8 to prove the rotary is a viable powerplant. Now that they've proven it, they should have Ford's consent to do more. You don't give the keys to your sports car to your teenager until he can at least drive the station wagon.

Why did mazda save weight on the 8 if the future for a 7 was inevitable. Why do I have to worry about a flat tire? Mazda wanted to save as much weight as possible for a reason. "If" the 4th gen is a sure thing then mazda could have given us a descent spare tire for the 8. It just doesn't make any sense giving 8 owners an aluminum hood or no real spare tire. It would only add like 50 extra pounds anyway.

no turbo = no new 7

uh, i like my aluminum hood and no spare tire very much, thank you

I'm not saying I don't like it. It just doesn't make sence to do this if the 8 wasn't going to be mazda's only flagship sports car. do you understand my point?

well, right now it *IS* the pinnacle of Mazda engineering, so they SHOULD throw all the goodies at it, i mean, why not? :p

obviously I'd expect even more go fast goodies on the RX-7 when it comes out.

I'm saying why did mazda bother saving the 50 extra lbs? It won't make much of a difference in acceleration. The 7 is dead!!! get over it!!!!

I suspect the rx9 will be the next mazda sports car.

I see where you are coming from--but I don't think it is related at all. I don't think it is idicative. Besides--Mazda's intentions where more than likely different back when the 8 was conceived. These new products are all developments that were spawned by the success of the company. Mazda is making $$ and Ford is happy--as such they are allowing Mazda alot of freedom to develop these new projects. I have no doubts that a more powerful 8 or RX7 is in the future. How far in the future is anyone's guess. Sidenote--I read where Toyota is planning on developing a true Supra successor to challenge the RX8/350Z. As such this should be another motivator for rotary development.

I really don't get this "if the 7 was definite, the 8 would not have a spare tire and an aluminum hood" argument. so the only reason to take out the spare tire and have an aluminum hood is the lack of the 7? it has nothing to do with saving trunk space and weight? saving trunk space and weight is only important if there's no RX-7? (Or does the spare tire take no trunk space at all?) This logic baffles me. I mean it's like saying "the fact that Mazda cared at all about the performance of the RX-8 means they don't plan on reintroducing the RX-7".

I'm not saying you're wrong about the RX-7 being dead. I'm just saying your reasoning behind it doesn't make any sense (at least to me, unless I'm missing something).

50lbs make a NOTICEABLE difference in the WHOLE vehicle dynamic, not just acceleration, ever notice how your 8 feels more nimble when it's running at half tank of fuel compared to a full tank?

I doubt they would leave out the spare to make the trunk space larger. I mean, it's a serious compromise. Someone that would care about a larger trunk would probably want a spare tire too!

The performance gain from the aluminum hood and absent spare is minimal. I don't think the 7 crowd will go for a n/a or super charged "7". This is my reasoning for the 7 being dead. I do see an rx9 in the future that uses the renesis and is a 2700lb coupe. Otherwise, the way gas prices are and will be in the future, doesn't warrent a bunch of different rotary powered cars.

They could make as many concepts as they wish. Back in 95 the rx-01 looked like a great concept but it didn't fly. Concepts are just that "concepts".

Mazda has always been about making their sports cars as light as possible. When they were designing the 8, it was the "next" RX sports car. During the R&D phase, they wouldn't have known if a new 7 would be in the works or not, much of that depended on the success of the 8.

BTW, their target weight was about 2800lbs, which they missed by a little bit. I wish they hadn't, can you imagine an RX-8 that's 150lbs less?! Whatever their next RX car turns out to be, you can be sure they will again be trying to shave off as much weight as possible.

c'mon :D

um what? the hood is for pedestrian safety! the return of the 7 was/ is never a sure thing. i wouldnt call it that until the first one is purchased and in the lucky owners driveway. but the rest of your statement makes no sense. the one and only reason to save weight on the 8 was to save weight on the 8. as for the spare- the first thing most owners would have done is removed it. why go thru that expese as a company? better to just offer it to the few who really want/need it.