BRUSSELS — Mazda's famed rotary engine is getting primed for electrification.
The MX-30 e-Skyactiv R-EV plug-in hybrid, which debuted at the Brussels Motor Show last week, features a gasoline rotary engine as a power generator that, along with a 17.8-kilowatt-hour lithium ion battery, gives the small crossover an electric-only range of 53 miles.
Mazda said the range should allow customers to use the MX-30 in electric mode for most daily driving needs.
The MX-30 e-Skyactiv R-EV's rollout fulfills a Mazda promise to resurrect the rotary engine after retiring the technology in 2012 when the RX-8 sports car was dropped.