The #RXVision is the Most Beautiful Concept Car of the Year, according to @Festivalauto. pic.twitter.com/A8c3FYmXlL
— Mazda USA (@MazdaUSA) February 5, 2016
In the early 1970s, Mazda began operation in North America. The brand quickly gained traction due to its unique rotary combustion engine (or Wankel engine, after the German engineer who developed it).
The rotary engine was part of the sweeping success of the Mazda RX-7, because it delivered a huge amount of power from a small, lightweight engine.
The one thing the rotary was not good at was fuel efficiency.
After the 1973 oil crisis, drivers started looking for cars with better economy, and the Wankel engine fell from grace. Mazda switched to more efficient combustion engines, and was named most fuel efficient brand in 2015 by the EPA.
Mazda continued to use the rotary engine in select models, until the Mazda RX-8 ended production in 2011.
Things aren't over for the rotary engine, however. At a recent auto show, Mazda unveiled the Mazda RX-Vision concept car to signal the world that the RX, and the rotary engine, are still in the company's future.
Visit North Shore Mazda to test drive a new vehicle in Salem, MA.
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