- Mazda confirms next MX-5 is being engineered to accommodate electric power.
- Engineers are targeting 1,000-1,200 kg despite EV batteries joining the party.
- CEO Masahiro Moro also wants an exclusive halo sports car to sit above MX-5.
Mazda has spent decades proving sports cars don’t need enormous muscle to be fun. They just need to be light, and that means EV power is out. Now one of those rules is about to change. CEO Masahiro Moro has confirmed the next MX-5, codenamed NE, is being prepared for electric power, and somehow Mazda thinks it can keep the little roadster seriously light.
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Speaking with Auto Motor und Sport only weeks after an Aussie Mazda exec said the next MX-5 could be the last to run a combustion motor, Moro said the MX-5’s replacement must be prepared for a future where combustion power is no longer viable at all due to regulatory roadblocks.
“The successor must also be ready for a scenario without a combustion engine,” Moro told the German title. “The challenge for us is to make the basic structure lighter without using exotic materials like carbon fiber.”
Instead of resorting to pricey composites, engineers are being challenged to make the underlying structure lighter using more conventional materials. And Mazda’s target sounds ambitious. Moro says developers are shooting for somewhere between “just under 1,000 kg and 1,200 kg (2,205-2,645 lbs)”, adding, “And I believe we can achieve that.”
If they can, an electric MX-5, most likely wearing a design inspired by the Iconic SP concept (below), could weigh roughly the same as today’s combustion models, or just a smidge higher. The MY26 roadster comes in at 1,003 kg (2,211 lbs) without a driver in Euro trim.
Electric Not The Only Answer
Mazda’s Icon SP concept from 2024.
Fortunately for piston fans, electric isn’t the only future Mazda is planning. The next MX-5 is also expected to use the company’s new 2.5-liter Skyactiv-Z four-cylinder. Some form of hybridization remains possible too, provided it doesn’t undermine the lightweight formula, in which case power could reach 220 hp (223 PS). Today’s hottest US Miata makes 181 hp (184 PS) and even Japan’s hardcore 12R model can’t top 197 hp (200 PS).
We’ll have to wait to see how Mazda makes all those options coexist, because the next-generation MX-5 isn’t expected before 2028 at the earliest. By then, the current ND will have enjoyed an impressively long innings stretching back to 2015.
Mazda Wants A Flagship Sports Car
But new Miata isn’t all we’ve got to look forward to. Moro has another sports-car itch he wants scratched.
“I want a ‘hero car’ for Mazda, a true flagship model that perfectly embodies our brand values,” he told Auto Motor und Sport.
Moro says the MX-5 will continue serving enthusiasts seeking accessible fun, but believes Mazda is missing something special at the opposite end of the showroom. He doesn’t expect this mystery machine to chase big sales numbers and even suggests it could be built largely by hand.
