Rotary engine fans holding out for a successor to the RX-7 and RX-8 sports cars will need to temper their enthusiasm – despite the return of the iconic engine as a range-extender in an eco car.

The rotary engine may be back in Mazda showrooms in 2023 after a decade out of production – but a new RX-badged sports car with the iconic engine design is no closer to reality.

As reported last week, Mazda has revived its unique rotary engine design for a range-extender, plug-in hybrid 'R-EV' version of the MX-30 small SUV – 11 years after it was killed with the end of RX-8 production in 2012.

Now Mazda executives have told UK magazine Autocar there are no plans for a new rotary-engined sports car to succeed the RX-7 and RX-8 – although it remains on the personal wish lists of the company's engineers.

"Rotary is our symbol. It’s a dream of engineers at Mazda to have a sports car with rotary. Now is not the time for that," assistant manager of Mazda's powertrain development division, Yoshiaki Noguchi, told Autocar.

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