Mazda has vowed to keep the MX-5 on the rear-wheel drive platform with the combustion engine, but some form of electrification may be required to comply with tougher emissions regulations. That’s basically all we know for now about the fifth-generation Miata. Well, that and the fact it’s not coming soon as the ND is going to stick around for a few years.
Talk with CarMazda Europe’s head of product development and engineering, Joachim Kunz said: “It has one generation [ND] for 10 years is no problem for us.” However, earlier this week, company Zoom-Zoom may have given an early look at the NE (although technically it’s codenamed Fiat/Abarth 124 Spider). An official video about the commitment to improving gaming EV- his.
It’s known as the “Vision Study Model” for now, with some suggesting it serves as a conceptual next-gen MX-5 or even a revival of the RX or MX-3. Well, said a spokesman for Mazda Car “It’s meant to demonstrate the brand’s commitment to fun cars.”
This isn’t the first Mazda Vision-badged as we all remember the beautiful RX-Vision from October 2015 and the Vision Coupe from 2017. Unfortunately, neither went on to see the light of production day. Hopefully this latest concept has a correspondence in the real world. For what it’s worth, the car appears in the video right before a batch of MX-5s from the previous generation.
Back in June, Kunz suggested in an interview with Car that the Miata will always get special treatment for being seen as a model separate from the mainstream cars. He added:
“Right now, it looks like we’re going to have this car forever, with this size and concept and combustion engine. Of course, someday, we’ll have to electrify it, but we want to keep this pure concept.”
This statement gives purists hope that there is still life in the internal combustion engine for at least another generation of this beloved roadster. With the Vision Study apparently becoming an EV and Mazda saying the MX-5 will keep the petrol engine for now, it’s possible the sleek coupe isn’t related to the Miata.
What we do know is fun cars are still on the agenda when Mazda picks them up (baby) step towards electrification.
