Drew Dowdell

The last Renesis was designed 20+ years ago for release in 2004. The issue with the 4-cylinder options is size. The previous renesis was capable of over 230hp in a 1.3-liter engine that was physically smaller than any 1.3-liter out there. Ah yea, you mean REV, range-extended vehicle. That playbook goes back to the Bolt. The way I am viewing this is that this will allow Mazda to range extend their smallest cars like the CX-30 and even the Miata. I know there will be much wailing and gnashing of teeth when the Miata does go electric, but that is going to be an amazingly fun go-cart.

Personally, I'd go with a row-my-own Jetta S with the Trax a distant 2nd. Both of them being turbos, despite their diminutive size, would still have okay low-end torque.

It's a stop-gap. It also lets Mazda produce low-medium range EVs with a range extender for those people who want mostly an EV but might have issues with the charging end of things and don't want the range anxiety. Imagine a Leaf range but with a REV. There's a segment of the EV market that would go for it. What two-mode are you referring to? I think the point here is that technology has progressed significantly since Mazda last went all in on a rotary. I'm sure materials and design can improve on the old issues. Additionally, since acting as a REV, the Rotary would be at a far less variable RPM which brings some advantages for durability.

I don’t know much about stock market signals, but I do know that this is a fairly bad sign

Rotaries are the perfect ICE for EV regenerators. They are comfortable at the higher rpm that the generators need without causing noise and vibration to the passengers. No one likes a 3-cylinder or 4-cylinder screaming at them at 2,750 rpm, but a rotary at that speed is like nothing. Plus, they're quite compact so they can fit in smaller vehicles like the Icon SP above or MX-30, or they can fit in something larger like the CX-90.