Mazda rotary brand identity, with original Wankel pic by Softeis, courtesy CC BY-SA 3.0. A plug-in hybrid version of Mazda’s MX-30 electric car will be unveiled at the Brussels Motor Show on Friday next, writes Brian Byrne. The powertrain will use the company rotary petrol engine as an electricity generator to power the electric traction motor. No further details of the car have been revealed, but it will be on sale in European markets in the spring. The Mazda rotary engine is based on the concept developed by German engineer Felix Wankel in the 1950s. The Japanese company produced it for a range of RX sports cars until 2012, after which it was only used in a racing championship up to 2017. A prototype rotary engine used as an EV range extender was shown in a Mazda2 in 2013.