Mazda 2007 Annual Report Download - page 29
Download and view the complete annual report
Please find page 29 of the 2007 Mazda annual report below. You can navigate through the pages in the report by either clicking on the pages listed below, or by using the keyword search tool below to find specific information within the annual report.23
In May 2007, Mazda celebrated its 40th
anniversary of selling automobiles powered
by rotary engines. As of April 30, 2007,
Mazda had manufactured approximately
1.97 million such vehicles. “It took an
unwavering outlook, rooted in a corporate
culture that wasn’t afraid to take risks, to
make the rotary engine work,” said Hisakazu Imaki, president of Mazda. “These attributes
can truly be said to characterize Mazda as it is today. As I
said in March 2007, when I made the ‘Sustainable Zoom-
Zoom’ announcement, Mazda will continue its research
and development efforts into rotary engine technology. We
anticipate that the hydrogen-powered version of the rotary
engine will become the next generation of environmentally
friendly engine technologies. This incarnation of the
technology has reached the practical application stage.
We intend to create greater value still in the rotary engine
through further research and development, in times to come.”
Since the late 1950s, automotive companies worldwide
have been involved in R&D efforts aimed at building a
commercially viable rotary engine. Many companies gave
up, however, overwhelmed by technical problems. Mazda
surmounted these problems, and successfully entered into
the full-fledged manufacturing of automobiles powered by
rotary engines. In May 1967, Mazda rolled out the Cosmo Sport, the world’s first dual-
rotor, rotary-engine-powered vehicle. Other rotary-engine-powered vehicles soon fol-
lowed, such as the Familia Rotary Coupe, Savanna, RX-7 and Eunos Cosmo. Mazda
continues to market rotary-engine-powered vehicles, making ongoing improvements to
the technology in such varied aspects as fuel
economy and environmental friendliness. In 1991,
the Mazda 787B became the first rotary-engine-
powered vehicle, and Mazda, the only Japanese
automobile manufacturer to win the Le Mans
24-Hours endurance race. Mazda has also won
numerous other motor sports competitions.
Mazda has been involved in the development
of a hydrogen fuel rotary engine. Such a system
emits only trace elements of CO2gas, one of the exhaust products that contribute to
global warming. In February 2006, Mazda began commercial leasing of its Mazda RX-8
Hydrogen RE (Rotary Engine) in Japan.
Mazda Celebrates the 40th Anniversary of the
Rotary Engine Vehicle