Mazda RX7 not dead? RX-9 in the works?

Maybe we jumped the gun...a few days ago we saw a new rendering of a future Mazda RX-7. While we thought it looked great, the global economic meltdown and the multi-month gap without any rumors had us sure the sports car was left for dead.

Now Inside Line is reporting that resurrection is coming in the form of a RX-9. Mazda may be pushing through a sports car to replace the RX-8, and keep the company rotary-happy for years to come. If all goes right the RX-9 may be powered by a mid-engined (behind the front axle, in front of the driver) twin-rotor engine making 270 hp. The car could also take advantage of new technology that would improve the fuel consumption by twenty percent of the traditionally gas-hungry rotary engine.