Model Mazda MX-5 it is an icon of the past and present of the Japanese brand and there are all intentions to maintain this status quo in the future. However, there is a sword of Damocles that hangs on the car, and it is the possibility of not being able to exploit the technical characteristics that have made it famous. That is, the internal combustion engine. However, Mazda doesn’t give up and for the next generation of the MX-5 it shouldn’t compromise, carefully avoiding going electric or plug-in hybrid.
According to reports Autocar, the combustion engine will still be the protagonist, but with a technology that should reduce consumption to the bare minimum. First of all, it must be considered that sales of the MX-5 would not contribute heavily to Mazda’s emissions, which is why the manufacturer plans to offset its emissions with electric cars such as the MX-20. Then, there is the presence of Skyactiv-x technology, which works thanks to the innovative system called SPCCI (spark plug controlled compression ignition) which allows the engine to switch seamlessly between conventional combustion and compression ignition, using a spark plug to ignite both types differently combustion. The system improves engine efficiency by up to 30% compared to the current Skyactiv-G, reducing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.
In the fifth generation of the MX-5, with such technology, the car should have more torque (30% compared to Skyactiv-G). However Mazda has yet to create a 1.5-liter Skyactiv-x engine, which is basically the model’s entry level. There could therefore be a compromise in terms of displacement, while the manual transmission will remain. According to Mazda design boss Ikuo Maeda “the next MX-5 will have to be a car capable of thrilling its drivers, without making them worry about the environment“. In this sense, the lack of an electric battery should be ‘compensated’ by maintaining the car’s current weight.
A certain continuity is also expected on the “less is more” style, minimalist, with possible changes on the shape of the LED headlights, and on a new cockpit with digital dials and new age dashboard. The fourth series of the Mazda MX-5 came out in 2014, with an update in 2018. The 30th Anniversary was produced in 2019.