Last May, the Fiat Group and Mazda revealed that they signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the joint development and production of a new roadster for the Alfa Romeo and Mazda brands.
Today, the two companies announced the signing of the Final Agreement, which stipulates that the Japanese carmaker will produce an open-top two-seater sports car at its Hiroshima plant from 2015.
As per the MoU, the new Alfa Romeo Spider (as it will presumably be named) will be based on the architecture of the fourth-generation MX-5 – which, for Alfisti and sports car fans, is certainly good news as it means that the Italian roadster will be rear-wheel drive.
The official announcement stresses that the new roadsters will sport brand-specific design and each company’s own engines. So, no simple badge-engineering job then…or at least that’s what Fiat and Mazda claim.
Note: The Alfa Romeo Spider seen in these pictures is a Pininfarina concept from 2010
By Andrew Tsaousis
PHOTO GALLERY
