Mazda refused to make an electric car out of the MX-5 roadster

The fifth generation of the iconic Mazda MX-5 (Miata) roadster has not yet appeared even in spy photos, but the Japanese automaker has already revealed the key principle of its development. Despite the fact that there are years left before the premiere of the new product, the brand’s management has officially confirmed its commitment to the legendary formula: the new MX-5 will retain its lightweight design and internal combustion engine, IT Home reports.

Mazda Sales and Marketing Director Manobu Osuga made a specific promise. According to him, the company intends to keep the weight of the new roadster below 1000 kilograms. To achieve this, engineers will continue to apply the “fight for every gram” strategy that was used when creating the current generation of the model.

If this promise is fulfilled, the new MX-5 will be lighter than the current ND3 model, which weighs 1,073 kilograms in North America in its lightest version. In some markets where a version with a less powerful 1.5-liter engine is offered, the car’s weight is already lower, but in the European Union this modification was the only one left – the 2.0-liter engine was withdrawn from sales due to non-compliance with environmental standards.

Osuga clarified that the stated figure of 1,000 kilograms refers to the version with a soft folding top. The heavier RF hardtop variant, if introduced again, will inevitably weigh more.

The key decision to maintain low weight was the abandonment of electrification. The top manager did not rule out the possibility of a hybrid version in the future, when technology becomes more advanced, but stressed that for the foreseeable future the new MX-5 will remain exclusively with an internal combustion engine.

Earlier, Russo-Balt spoke about the transmission of the new crossover.