They need to all start working on them to drive the technology forward and prices down!

Cool. It would only be better if it was Ford that was going to do this. That would be very interesting.

Why not a rotary? It’s a small, lightweight power-plant that if it’s used just to power a generator is unlikely to be spinning at 7,000 rpm all day long. Why not a single rotor engine? It doesn’t have to be the 13B that’s in the RX8.

One thing we haven’t heard about the Volt is what the maintenance schedule on the engine is going to be. Will you still have to bring it in for a regular oil change even if it’s barely been run? Or run at all for that matter.

i dont get the big deal with the volt and all the hype. Not so much hype with the FCX clarity. It has done it 1st

id prefer the mazda. however, the spyshots of the volt’s supposed interior look nice. looks like hard shiny plastic but surrounded with the finer materials in the picture, i like it. looks like an ipod surrounded by leather. lol.

I said it before, so why not again: Volt, the car that will save GM.

yes

The volt is awesome.. but a rotary engine in a non-high-performance configuration would definetely outdo chevrolet’s motor, whatever it is. In the RX-8 it is geared like crazy because rotarys suck at producing low end torque, so of course it’s fuel economy sucks.. but who cares about a generator’s low end torque?? that engine take take it’s damn sweet time to hit 9,000rpm.

Yeah the main advantage would be weight.. i think gm’s motor is a 1.2 or 1.3l, but considering the mazda 1.3l creates 230+ hp, a 600cc or less rotary engine would do juuust fine.

Now if they could only fix the oil issues..

Why a Volt clone when they are testing a hydrogen rotary RX-8? Eh, who cares. Let the other automakers spend the billions to perfect the tech, then when it actually is profitable and manageable, then make a hybrid.

A rotary engine in a non-high-performance configuration such as this would be GREAT. You know why?

Primarily space and weight savings. The biggest thing with these battery powered vehicles is weight and space taken up. Rotary engines really aren’t all that inefficient, they just use oil up fast.

remember the insight. then came the prius. the more successful one is clear. release the volt too earl before all the kinks are worked out, insight. release it too late, the big 3. release it just right, the car that will save gm.

ride the first release wave, then retool it to be a more versatile platform for a diverse vehicle type, ala skateboard. not everyone wants a 4 door sedan that sort of looks like a coupe.

Uhh, if anything, the Prius is like the model T since it is actually affordable and was completely brand new in the market. The volt brings nothing new to the table other than a 50,000$ price tag.

I’m willing to bet that cars under $25,000 make up 60% or more of most automakers’ sales. So how’s a $40,000, limited-production, 1.0 release car going to save GM again?

You all have Microsoft operating systems, has that not taught you NEVER to buy the 1.0 version of ANYTHING? You wait for the patch!

I don’t have a Microsoft OS. I use a Mac.

However, I never buy version 1.0.

I hope this market gets more competition, this will get prices down. Hopefully!
The Prius is not as revolutionary as the Volt no matter how you look at it, sorry. It might be the first commercial hybrid or whatever, but the price and fuel efficiency is not that great! You can buy cheaper, diesel powered European hatchbacks with similar fuel efficiency…
Anyway, back to Mazda, I think they’re using the rotary engine because it’s more compact and lighter than a regular gasoline one. Considering the weight of the electric motor and batteries, every pound counts. That’s why the Volt uses a gasoline engine instead of a diesel as a generator, even if the diesel is more efficient. It’s because modern diesels are more complex, require more maintenance and are heavier than gas counterparts.
All in all, a good move by Mazda, I say.

LMAO at 02WRXPSM

why does chevrolet take soo long to build a car nowerday, maybe its beacuse they are’nt used to building good cars but the camaro has take and age and soo has the volt, whatever mazda come up with will be much better

scew the volt screw the prius and whatever else is coming out in this segment ive made my decision this will be my next car, hopefully it doesnt look like @ss

Just dont make it too ugly, and it will sell.