Anemic sales and stricter emission laws across the globe have forced Mazda to stop production of the RX-8 at its Japanese plant in Hiroshima, asking dealerships to sell off their remaining inventory.
Last year, the automaker was forced to pull the small sports car from the European market, as it was unable to meet local emissions standards.
The loss of such a huge market combined with the strength of the Yen, which makes exporting more difficult for all Japanese manufacturers, basically tolled the death of the model.
In 2010, sales of the RX-8 in the United States dropped by 49% over 2009, with only 1,334 units going to new homes. The steady decline continued throughout the first seven months of 2011, with May’s results showing a 29% decrease over the same period last year.
Strangely, Canadian consumers bought 109 RX-8s between January and July 2011, a significant increase compared to the 58 units sold in 2010. Though encouraging, that’s not nearly enough to keep the model alive.
Ironically, the rotary engine car is suffering a fate similar to its predecessor, the RX-7.
Does that also mean the end of the rotary engine, Mazda’s calling card? Maybe not.
The automaker’s engineers are apparently working to revive the 16X engine unveiled at the Tokyo show in 2007, dropped during the economic downturn in 2009 in favour of the SkyActiv technology.
Source: Automotive News
Last year, the automaker was forced to pull the small sports car from the European market, as it was unable to meet local emissions standards.
The loss of such a huge market combined with the strength of the Yen, which makes exporting more difficult for all Japanese manufacturers, basically tolled the death of the model.
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| Photo: Mazda |
In 2010, sales of the RX-8 in the United States dropped by 49% over 2009, with only 1,334 units going to new homes. The steady decline continued throughout the first seven months of 2011, with May’s results showing a 29% decrease over the same period last year.
Strangely, Canadian consumers bought 109 RX-8s between January and July 2011, a significant increase compared to the 58 units sold in 2010. Though encouraging, that’s not nearly enough to keep the model alive.
Ironically, the rotary engine car is suffering a fate similar to its predecessor, the RX-7.
Does that also mean the end of the rotary engine, Mazda’s calling card? Maybe not.
The automaker’s engineers are apparently working to revive the 16X engine unveiled at the Tokyo show in 2007, dropped during the economic downturn in 2009 in favour of the SkyActiv technology.
Source: Automotive News