Mazda’s RX-8 may have been updated in 2009, but strict emission standards have forced the automaker to drop the sports car from its European model range. According to Mazda, the 1.3-liter, dual-rotor “Renesis” Wankel rotary engine won’t meet the upcoming “Euro5″ emission standards.
Mazda Germany exec, Joseph Alois Schmid, stated that retrofitting the current engine would be too cost prohibitive and the Wankel can’t adapt quickly enough to Europe’s stringent emission standards.
Although a replacement is in the works – and a hydrogen version could arrive within the next few years, the rotary-powered sports car, which was just refreshed last year, is still confirmed for other markets, including Malaysia.
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Shahir R. Ali General Manager and lead programmer at wemotor.com who loves cars and enjoys writing about them once in a while.
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