Rotary-powered Mazda sports car reportedly coming in 2020

Mazda will probably have a rotary-powered RX-9 sports car on the road in just over three years

Mazda‘s juicy (and often most heartbreaking) rumour – the return of a rotary-powered RX sports car successor – just got a lot juicier.

According to a report from Australia’s Motoring, Mazda executives have “formally” green-lit the design and production for the latest iteration of the RX-series sports car. The car is expected to carry the RX-9 nameplate and debut as a prototype in 2017, followed by a production version in 2019 before it hits dealers in 2020.

Exact details are still under wraps, but Mazda has made it known it’s working on a new Skyactivrotary engine. Rumour has it the 1.6-litre twin-turbo rotary engine will have a hybrid electric assist of some sort, pushing somewhere around 400 horsepower to the rear wheels.

Of course, all of this is best taken with a grain of salt – Mazda hasn’t given an official confirmation just yet, and we’ve had our hearts broken before over rumoured RX successors.