Mazda announced that the RX-8 sport car will no longer be available in Europe as its engine did not meet the latest European emission regulations. The car's Wankel engine did not meet the necessary requirements of the EuroV emission regulations that came into force last September, so the Japanese company decided that instead of developing the current engine in the RX-8 at a substantial cost, the current generation will be axed. Consumers will have to "settle" for the BMW Z4->ke289 and the Porsche Cayman->ke5 to ease their pain until Mazda can figure out their engine situation.

For the next Mazda RX-8 the company will have to work with the next EuroVI emission regulations, available starting 2014, getting it right might be a problem for the RX-8 which may lead them to a hydrogen rotary engine version.

The current RX-8 is powered by a compact 13B twin rotor Renesis engine making 232 HP at a screaming 8,200 RPM and 155 lb-ft of torque. This allows the RX-8 to accelerate from 0 to 60 MPH in just 6.4 seconds and reach a top speed of 145 MPH.

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