Mazda Europe executives have revealed some details about it Next generation MX-5which will likely have some form of electrification.
Jo Stenuit, Mazda Europe Design Director, said: AutoRAI.nl The company “conducted a project in 2024 where we explored the possibilities for the (next) MX-5.”
Although “nothing is set in stone yet,” Mr. Stenuit is “certain” that the “NE” MX-5 “will have some form of electric power assistance.” He continued that a mild hybrid system was the minimum offer.
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If a mild hybrid system is indeed used on the next MX-5, it could allow the roadster to enter the era of electrification while still offering a manual transmission option. The Honda CR-Z pulled off this trick about a decade ago, albeit with limited sales success.
This would also allow the MX-5 to save some fuel without adding much weight. As Mr. Stenuit admits, the MX-5 is “above all fun, light and affordable (and) if any of these three aspects are missing, it’s not an MX-5.”
Christian Schultze, head of research and operations at Mazda Europe, went a step further, postulating that synthetic fuels and a “relatively light form of electrification” would allow the next MX-5 to “maintain light weight and direct character while working towards emissions reductions.”
The push to electrify the MX-5 is driven solely by emissions regulations and not by the pursuit of additional performance. Mr. Schultze would like to emphasize again: “The MX-5 is not about maximum horsepower (because you don’t need extreme power to experience driving pleasure).”
Although the EU’s Euro 7 regulations are no stricter than the previous Euro 6 regulations, the Union has set increasingly strict fleet-wide CO2 limits with harsh penalties for car manufacturers.
These limits have forced car manufacturers to trade emissions credits and expand their offerings to include hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles. In fact, Mazda in Japan was forced to rename the Toyota Yaris Hybrid the Mazda 2 to reduce its CO2 levels.
It has also led some companies to scrap their gasoline-only sports cars, such as Toyota and Subaru with their GR86/BRZ siblings.
While the current ‘ND’ MX-5 is fast approaching its 11th birthday, Mazda is not moving forward with development of its successor, and Mr Stenuit says it will be at least a ‘couple’ of years away. According to Mr. Schultze, the company is still “focused primarily on the current MX-5 and how we can best maintain and develop it.”
MORE: Explore the Mazda MX-5 showroom
