Type Private company Website www.rotax.com Founded 1920 | Industry Mechanical engineering Headquarters Gunskirchen, Austria | |
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Owner BRP-Powertrain Management GmbH,
BRP Holdings (Austria) GmbH Parent organization Bombardier Recreational Products Profiles | ||
Company tour welcome to the world of rotax
Rotax is the brand name for a range of internal combustion engines developed and manufactured by the Austrian company BRP-Rotax GmbH & Co KG (until 2016 BRP-Powertrain GmbH & Co. KG), in turn owned by the Canadian Bombardier Recreational Products.
Contents
- Company tour welcome to the world of rotax
- How rotax builds aircraft engines
- History
- Aircraft engines
- Karting engines
- OEM
- References
Rotax four-stroke and advanced two-stroke engines are used in a wide variety of small land, sea and airborne vehicles. Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP) use them in their own range of such vehicles. In the light aircraft class, in 1998 Rotax outsold all other engine manufacturers combined.
How rotax builds aircraft engines
History
The company was founded in 1920 in Dresden, Germany, as ROTAX-WERK AG. In 1930, it was taken over by Fichtel & Sachs and transferred its operations to Schweinfurt, Germany. Operations were moved to Wels, Austria, in 1943 and finally to Gunskirchen, Austria, in 1947. In 1959, the majority of Rotax shares were taken over by the Vienna-based Lohner-Werke, a manufacturer of car and railway wagon bodies.
In 1970, Lohner-Rotax was bought by the Canadian Bombardier Inc. The former Bombardier branch, Bombardier Recreational Products, now an independent company, uses Rotax engines in its ground vehicles, personal water craft, and snowmobiles.
Aircraft engines
Rotax supplies aircraft engines for ultralight aircraft, light aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles.
Rotax engines designed specifically for light aircraft include both four-stroke and two-stroke models.
Current models are:
Historical models no longer in production include:
Karting engines
The company developed the Rotax MAX engine for Karting. This 2-stroke engine series was launched 1997.
OEM
The company also produces unbranded engines, parts and complete power trains for Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM). Uses include motor bikes and scooters, with complete engines including the Rotax 122 and Rotax 804. Motorcycle manufacturers using Rotax engines include Aprilia, BMW (F and G series), Buell and KTM.