The future of the rotary engine is in safe hands after Mazda President Masamichi Kogai confirmed during the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show that the company is currently developing a new rotary motor that they hope will be able to meet current emission and fuel standards.

According to AutoCar UK, Kogai stated that Mazda still has a dedicated engineering team that are focused on improving the rotary engine. The President added that even though the team is 'working enthusiastically' on the motor, they will not bring not bring back rotary power unless it will be able to be on par with today's standards.

Exact improvements on the engine remain a mystery but it may involve having to deliver more torque at low revs as well as reducing C02 emissions.

However, Kogai did not announce if the RX nameplate will be making a return and when asked why the engineering team still existed, he declined to give a specific answer. The new rotary engine or RX-8 successor may come out sometime in 2018, as it will mark the 40^th anniversary of the original RX-7. It may also arrive sometime in 2020 as the year will mark Mazda's 100^th anniversary.

Previously, we reported that the company is working on a rotary-powered sports coupe that was derived from the Mazda6. It will be an independent model but will share the platform of the midsize sedan. This somehow contradicts with our much earlier report last November 2014 which stated that the company has no plans on reviving the RX moniker.

Source: AutoCar UK