Most Japanese car manufacturers have all found a way to differentiate themselves, Toyota has the reputation for producing bullet-proof cars (although that reputation may currently be slightly bruised), Subaru and Mitsubishi make all-wheel-drive rally inspired sportscars and Nissan makes the grand-daddy of them all, the Nissan GT-R.

Mazda on the other hand has always stuck to its Rotary powered sports cars that have created a unique cult of car enthusiasts. The Mazda RX-8 has come a long way since its introduction in 2003 and its designer, Mr Ikuo Maeda, is hoping to revive the RX-7.

Maeda was in charge of the RX-8 design but more interestingly his father, who held a similar job at the company was in the charge of the original RX-7. “I was a real car lover long before I started designing cars, there are lots of car enthusiasts at Mazda, but I think I’m at the top”, says Maeda.

The Mazda designer is known internally as “Speedy” for his performance on the race track in his Mazda MX-5 and Lotus Elise. The man was also behind the current generation Mazda2, but his big ambition is to bring back the RX-7. “I do have a strong yearning to revive the RX-7 during my tenure but in order for that to happen, we need the U.S. economy to come back, first and foremost”, Maeda said.

Although potentially many years away, Mazda fans can rejoice knowing they have a man with enormous passion pushing the RX-7 project internally.

Adapted from CarAdvice

While other manufacturers have tried – and ultimately failed – to popularise the rotary engine, Mazda has been the only one to produce a range of workable road vehicles (and the occasional race car) motivated by the unique Wankel powerplant.

But with poor torque and terrible fuel economy being the main bugbears of the rotary engine, can it survive in an industry that’s being increasingly constrained by emissions laws?

According to US patent application 20090101103, it might. The application, lodged by Mazda earlier this year, details a direct-injected version of the company’s familiar rotary engine – a version that may allow such a motor to remain relevant in a more eco-conscious environment.

Direct injection has been used to great effect in piston engines as an economy-improving and emissions-reducing feature, and it may hold the same benefits for Mazda’s rotary.

The patent likely describes Mazda’s planned 16X rotary engine, which will eventually take over from the 1.3-litre 13B-MSP that powers the current RX-8. The 16X has a longer rotor stroke than the 13B-MSP, as well as 300cc more displacement, but while the 13B uses 80mm thick rotors the patent describes a engine that uses either 76mm or 70mm-wide rotors, suggesting two different engines may be in the pipeline.

As for when we can expect to see a next-gen rotary engine, it’s still too early to tell. Despite its less than ideal reputation as a gas-guzzler, Mazda has stuck by the ol’ spinning triangle and refined it over the past forty years. Given the history it has with the company, we doubt Mazda will be dropping it anytime soon.

If the rotary engine could survive the fuel crisis of the 1970s, we’re willing to bet Mazda will find a way to make it survive anything else.

Adapted from TheMotorReport