An extract from Dan Mazella's interview with Mark Fields, President of Mazda
Motor Corporation at the Detroit Autoshow, January 10, 2002. A lot of ineresting
news that carries over to all Mazda owners.

Mark Fields, President of Mazda Motor Corporation. He has been
Representative Director, President and Chief Executive Officer since
December 1999, repacing James Miller. The questions from today's interview
come from the online rotary community.

Are there any plans for a Turbo Charger or Super Charger on the RENESIS that
you know of?
Right now, no. Reason for that is, I want to make sure we execute the
RENESIS engine right with out a Turbo Charger. The power that we are getting
out of the RENESIS now is about the same as the last generation 13b with the
twin turbo chargers. We are getting the power at this point with no turbos

Is the number one concern then, reliability, durability of the engine
If we at the lingering issues, we have a number of categories. First was
fuel economy, second was reliability, third emissions, fourth oil
consumption. When we decided to do [the rotary] over, I told the engineering
department "you have to fix these issues!" Because, if not, we are not going
to have a compelling story.
Fuel economy has been improved. The engine itself is 30% lighter. The rotors
are lighter, the eccentric shaft, all that. On the emissions and fuel
economy, the car as a whole is lighter. The way they redesigned the rotary
engine, they put the exhaust ports and intake ports on the side housings.
Before there was an overlap in the chambers, so you would get unburnt
hydrocarbons. This did a number of things. One, didn't let the engine run
lean, decreasing fuel economy, and second the emissions were bad because of
the hydrocarbons. They did a number of other things in terms of the seals
around the block and rotors, some neat things...
So I think they did a good job of constructing this engine. It is lighter,
revs faster, has more power without turbos.

What about the RX-7? Will that be based off the RX-8.
The RX-8 is the new platform, not as a replacement for the RX-7, it is a
different proposition than the RX-7. We haven't decided yet the fate of the
RX-7. We want to execute the RX-8 well, and then we will determine what to
do with the RX-7. We'll see if it is competing with the existing RX-7, or it
makes a new market, and we'll see if we base the RX-7 off the RX-8.

Looking around at some of the other concepts at the show, things like the
Razor (a small, powerful and affordable sports car) It seems like there is a
need for something like the 1st gen RX-7, is this something that the RX-7
could be designed as?
Possibly, I have noticed that trend too, it has yet to be decided where the
RX-7 will go.

What about the RENESIS in other cars or even a lower powered Rotary in
sedans, etc.?
As you know in the early 70's, we had rotaries in all of our vehicles,
unfortunately, the company thought they were doing the right thing, but it ended up being at the wrong time. Right now there are no plans for anything like that. We have to execute the RX-8 right, first time. But that doesn't mean, I won't consider things in the future, but I want to be very selective. It would not be an inconsequential investment in development, like a front wheel drive system, and more for the rotary.

What do you think the direct competition for the RX-8 would be, right now?
Good question. There was a question like that earlier where they asked "when
developing the RX-8, what did you look for in terms of competition." Really,
we didn't look at one competitor, we looked at what made the RX-7
successful, and looked at 2 door sports cars, and 4 door sporty sedans. For
example we looked at things like the A4, A6, Altezza,( which is the IS300),
the BMW Z3, the Porsche Boxster.

In terms of marketing, what would they say is in it's class?
Well, we basically created a new class, so I don't know what marketing would
say.

What is the Audience, or target for this vehicle?
Well, the target is really 2 fold, First is clearly the rotary enthusiast.
World wide since 1978, we sold over 800,000 Rotary Powered RX-7's. This is a
very important market for us. Secondly people who are in the market for a 2
door or 4 door sporty car, that would be open to a unique proposition.

Is the RX-8 worth of the RX succession?
I think it will be partly for the RX-7 2 seat owners who might need more
space, but I also think this will open a whole new area for the customers.
Because, when you look at that car, it doesn't say baby-boomer, minivan, or
practical, but it is a practical 4 seater. The RX-8 is not a replacement for
the RX-7, but it will be a great car in its own right.

Within the rotary community, there is a tendency to compare Mazda with BMW.
Do you think that is a problem? Where do you think Mazda is going in terms
of luxury?
I hear all the time that we are becoming the Japanese BMW. I see thinks in
terms of this spectrum from 'value' to 'premium.' Some of out vehicles are
close to premium, but most of them are in the middle, and there are some
that are even below the middle. What we want to do is move everything up.
That doesn't mean they are going to be premium but it does mean they will be
aspirational. The will be different, and not be all things to all people. We
are not going to be creating the Japanese BMW in price, but maybe in spirit.
About 10 years ago Mazda tried to split off and do a luxury brand, the
Amati. At the time I was working in California for Ford. I used to commute
up the 5 to work, and would pass the Mazda building. One day there was a
'Amati' sign right across from the Mazda building. I said "what the heck is
Amati?" The 6 months later, the sign was gone. We won't do anything like
that, we will stay focused, and build cars that are Mazda, in the true sence
of the word.

Do you think Mazda is returning to its roots of fun to drive cars?
Yes, it is important for our brand. And we have returned to it. We like to
think every new Mazda has a part of the Miata in them.

What about racing involvement, maybe returning to Le Mans?
Right now, no. But ... I am a firm believer in racing, and what it does for
the brand. To me it is a question of when, not if. Right now we are putting
all our resources in new product development. But when we are in a better
financial situation, the question is when, not if....

What about bringing a third gen back to the US for a limited run?
It simply is not feasible. I have to say, I love the RX-7, I drive one in
Japan, the Bathurst Type-R. But our estimats show we would only sell 500 or
so a month, and the invenstment in reintroducing it, isn't a wise business
decision.

What about a 3 rotor RENESIS?
We are just focusing on the 2 rotor for now. There has been some talk about
a 3 rotor, but with the 2 rotor pushing out 250 hp, we are not looking at
the development of a 3 rotor right now.

A number of questions came in about the Protegé MP3, and Protege5. What kind
of programs can we expect with this?
The intent of the MP3 was "where are we taking this product." You just don't
jump a brand into something it isn't now. We were getting back to our roots.
You will see more MP3 type approaches to the Protegé in the future. We are
going to do a MP3 type of vehicle, not exactly like the MP3, but with the
tuners and vendors in the future.

What about the Protegé 5, will it get more power?
We are tweaking the engine right now, so we can get the most out of it with
out turbos.

With the MPS or Mazdaspeed program, would there be a program in place for
dealers to put on parts, with warrantees.
The opportunity is there, and the North American team is looking hard into
it.

Source: Dan Mazella