Kenichi Yamamoto has died
Not only is he the father of Mazda's rotary engine, he also recommended as president that Mazda build the Miata, arguably the best two seater sports car ever made. The Miata probably also kept Mazda in the spotlight and alive through the 90s.<p>Mazda is an interesting car company. Example: they have 0 electric or hybrid cars and don't have plans to make any afaik. They have a new 'X-Active' gasoline engine that also runs like a diesel at times to gain efficiency and power (<a href="https://jalopnik.com/mazdas-upcoming-skyactive-x-compression-ignition-engine-1797643172" rel="nofollow">https://jalopnik.com/mazdas-upcoming-skyactive-x-compression...</a>). I'm not sure it's a great idea to continue working on gasoline engine technology considering the industry and market, but it is impressive engineering.<p>They've also managed to keep the Mazda Miata at nearly the same weight (only 300lbs more than the original) and size (3 inches wider, 1 inch <i>shorter</i>) after over 20 years of safety and convenience improvements. I can't think of any other car model that's done that.<p>Somehow this small car company always punches above its weight, which is impressive.