Mazda’s CEO says next MX-5 will have to be ready to go electric if needed

The Mazda MX-5 is one of the last few holdouts in this era, with the ND being a pure-ICE sports car available with a manual transmission. However, due to tightening emissions regulations and everything going electric, it’s more of an inevitability at this point that the little roadster will have to go fully electric, and Mazda is getting ready for it.

In an interview with German auto publication Auto Motor und Sport, Mazda’s current CEO, Masahiro Moro, said that the next-generation MX-5 “must be ready for a scenario without a combustion engine.”

It’s expected that the next-generation MX-5 will come with Mazda’s upcoming Skyactiv-Z engine, which will be making its debut in the upcoming CX-5 paired with a hybrid system that’s built from the ground up. But with the statement above, this could mean that the car could be offered with dual powertrains, whether it be an ICE engine with some ICE tech, or a battery electric powertrain.

However, Moro mentioned that the team is preparing the platform for full electrification, with a challenge to “make the basic structure lighter without using exotic materials like carbon fiber” and to have a target weight of “just under 1,000kg and 1,200kg”.

The former statement is important because the utilization of materials like that would drive the cost of the MX-5 up, pushing it away from its fairly accessible (for a sports car) price point. However, Moro also mentioned that he has an interest in a true flagship model, which obviously slots above the MX-5. Either way, there’s a lot to look forward to in the coming years from Mazda, especially as an enthusiast.

^{Photos by Sam Surla}