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While the whole world is going crazy about electrification and trying to cram half a ton of batteries into every car, Mazda continues to pursue its own path. The Japanese are preparing the fifth generation of the legendary MX-5 roadster (index NE), and the main news here is not the number of screens in the cabin, but the figures on the scales. The company has officially confirmed that the next MX-5 should weigh less than 1000 kg.
Return to origins: “Gram strategy”
Manabu Osuga, Mazda’s global sales and marketing general manager, voiced an ambitious goal in a conversation with Australian media. According to him, engineers plan to fit the new generation within a one-ton limit. For comparison: the current ND3 model in its lightest version for the American market weighs about 1073 kg, and European modifications with a 1.5-liter engine are even closer to the coveted mark.
To achieve such a result, Mazda is once again applying its “gram strategy.” This is when every screw, every bracket, and suspension element is reviewed for excess weight. If 10 grams can be removed without losing strength, they will be removed.
Electricity will wait
The MX-5 could have turned into a hybrid or a purely electric car, but Osuga says modern hybrid technologies are too heavy. If a battery and an electric motor are installed in a compact roadster, it will lose its essence. Fans will not forgive this.
Therefore, at this stage, the focus is on the internal combustion engine. Although the company has not completely ruled out electrification in the future, it is not a priority now. The main problem is maintaining balance and lightness, which is simply impossible with current batteries.
New Skyactiv-Z engine and ecological standards
In Europe, due to strict emission standards, Mazda was forced to remove the 2.0-liter engine from the lineup, leaving only the base 1.5. However, the company is working on a new family of engines called Skyactiv-Z. This will be a 2.5-liter unit developed specifically for the Euro-7 standard.
The CX-5 crossover will receive this engine first in 2027, but there is a high likelihood that an adapted version will also find its way under the hood of the new MX-5. This would allow the roadster to regain decent dynamics without breaking the law. The release of the new generation is not expected before 2027, so engineers still have time to refine every detail and prove that a true sports car doesn't necessarily have to be a two-ton “monster.”
