Next-generation Mazda MX-5 to ditch manual gearbox due to electrification

Mazda’s current ND-series MX-5 will be the last to offer a three-pedal option as the brand looks to electrify its roadster range for the future.

Speaking to CarsGuide at the 2023 Japan Mobility Show, Mazda MX-5 Program Manager Shigeki Saito, simply said “probably not for an EV” when asked if a manual would be offered in the new-generation NE convertible.

This will mark the first time in the MX-5's now 34-year history where a manual gearbox will not be available, and the reason is electrification of the line-up, as a full battery-electric vehicle (BEV) would not need a traditional gearbox.

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Having said that, Hyundai pioneered a faux-shifter for its Ioniq 5 N performance hatchback that can simulate gear changes by cutting power at appropriate times, but it looks like Mazda will not be exploring this path with the new MX-5.

However, Mazda is yet to fully commit to the powertrain technology it will use for the new-generation MX-5, with BEV being only one such option.

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

“But it’s not officially decided, we’re still thinking about it.”

Either way, the new MX-5 will be electrified in some way, with the expected arrival of the NE model likely closer to the end of the decade.

Saito said the current ND MX-5 will continue “for as long as possible”, giving manual enthusiasts a chance to snap up a three-pedal roadster.

"For as long as possible we’d like to keep ND, and then of course we’d like to satisfy compliance with so many regulations,” he said.

“We like to do whatever we can, utilising the ND, because we think that the ND has a very high potential, therefore we’d like to do everything – whatever we can do.”