The new generation of Mazda MX-5 prioritizes simple driving pleasure Car News

Mazda is committed to keeping the formula of its venerable Mazda MX-5 sports car intact, even as it embarks on a strategy of extensive redesign, expansion and electrification of its lineup in the years to come. to come.

The company has confirmed that it will launch a range of electrified SUVs atop its new rear-drive platform and three new purely electric cars on its smaller front-drive architecture, as used by the Mazda 3 hatchback and the Mazda MX-30 EV. However, it has so far said little about how the 33-year-old roadster fits into that strategy.

Now, however, Mazda’s European product development and engineering manager, Joachim Kunz, has hinted that the MX-5 will be considered completely separate from the more traditional models that underpin the company’s growth. in order to maintain its appeal to enthusiasts. .

“She’s our brand icon and she’s always treated very special,” Kunz told Autocar. “At the moment it looks like we will have this car forever, with this size, this concept and this combustion engine. Of course, one day we will have to electrify it, but we want to keep this concept pure.

Basically, the company has no plans to shift the MX-5 to its small-car architecture, as that would mean sacrificing its defining character to the rear-drive layout.

Kunz acknowledged that Mazda’s European division has less influence on the MX-5 than it has on other models because it’s “headquarters’ baby” in Japan, where engineers s undertake to pass on its essential characteristics to new generations.

Kunz explained that the MX-5 has a longer life cycle than other Mazda models – “having a generation for 10 years is not a problem for us” – suggesting that a replacement for the generation car Current ND may not be covered until 2024.

One possibility is that the MX-5 uses Mazda’s innovative Skyactiv-X combustion technology, which serves to reduce fuel consumption and increase torque in the 3 without the need for a turbocharger and can be deployed in conjunction with a system mild hybrid.