Mazda
Mazda formed a relationship with the German NSU company who were developing the Wankel rotary patents to manufacture the new Rotary type engine for commercial use. However, Mazda completed their example first, which was the Cosmo Sport, before NSU had finalised their rotary engine. The advantage of the rotary type engine is that it offers huge power output for a minimal weight, but the downside is an increase in fuel consumption due to the inefficient combustion shape. The 1973 fuel crisis severely impacted on Mazda, but they were able to survive on selling their smaller piston engine models (Familia and Capella models) to keep the company going. The Mazda MX5 continued in production as a piston engine car, but their huge investment in research and development for the Rotary engine led Mazda to return in 1978 with a more efficient Mazda RX-7, and later RX-8 models.
