Mazda undecided on MX-5 powertrain future, but it will be electrified

Mazda’s next-generation MX-5 will be electrified, but what isn’t clear is exactly what that powertrain technology will look like.

Speaking to CarsGuide at the 2023 Japan Mobility Show, Mazda MX-5 Program Manager Shigeki Saito said the brand is still exploring options for future powertrains, though it is leaning towards full battery electric.

“Actually, we’ve not determined yet, but thinking about the trend over time, we think that it’s going to be more EV,” he said.

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Saito also revealed that an all-electric powertrain could be just one option, sold alongside other electrified choices.

“We have already announced that all Mazda vehicles will have an EV option by 2030, and therefore we think that sooner or later the Roadster (MX-5) is going to be electrified, but what we’re still unsure about is if it will be fully EV, maybe the EV will be an option – one of the options,” he said.

“When we say our vehicle line-up to be electrified, we’re not really sure that will be an EV – it could be hydrogen, maybe HEV (hybrid electric vehicle), so we’ve not decided.”

And the biggest hint to what an alternate powertrain could be was also sitting on the Mazda stand at the 2023 Japan Mobility Show in the form of the Iconic SP concept.

With a twin-rotor rotary range extender powertrain able to be fuelled by hydrogen and producing 272kW, as well as a perfect 50/50 weight distribution, Mazda could refine the technology further for the production version of the eventual NE MX-5.

When asked if the Iconic SP previews the new MX-5, Saito said that it is "actually, totally different", likely referring to the design.

“We’d like to build a new platform and also new EV, we think it’s difficult, but somehow, we can manage to create new things based on that concept car,” he said.

As previously reported, the new-generation MX-5 will ditch the manual gearbox in the move to an electrified powertrain.

Mazda is also targeting sub-1000kg weight for the production version, keeping the lightweight spirit of the MX-5 alive as it looks to advancements in battery technologies to keep the kilos low.