Mazda has some big plans for the Japan Mobility Show (JMS) including the unveiling of a new MX-5 concept. While we’ve surmised that it might be an electric version, a Mazda executive just gave us a lot more info about the future of the production model. The long and the short is that the MX-5 is going electric but not likely anytime soon.
Speaking to Top Gear, powertrain development boss Kato Matsue laid out some of the discussions that the team is having internally. They released the teaser you see above featuring whatever it is that is coming to the JMS (formerly the Tokyo Motor Show) that is said to symbolize “the future created by the love of cars.”
While specific details about the JMS study remain scarce, the teaser is a precise match to the Mazda Vision Concept that was showcased in digital form only through a video last year during the brand’s presentation of its medium-term electrifying strategy for 2030.
When asked specifically about the seeming inevitability of an electric MX-5, Matsue said “That’s a possibility. The MX-5’s main markets are the United States, Europe, and Japan. Japan is a bit behind, but the market demand is changing towards electrification. So we need to think about that.”
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The Mazda Vision Concept from 2022
That might sound like just about every other automotive executive talking about the future but Matsue also hinted that the team may not have a solid timeline just yet. “By 2030 all our products will have some electrification. So that means the sports car is not outside of that scope. But I can’t say exactly when we’ll introduce a battery on the MX-5 at this moment,” he said.
The big thing holding the team back appears to be the one big problem that many EVs have: weight. “Thinking about our development duration [until 2030], seven years is a short time,” says Matsue. “I don’t expect power density to become two or three times [better] compared to the current power density. Of course, I expect better, but I don’t think that will happen.”
Finally, he confirmed something we’re sure many hoped Mazda would commit to, an electrified MX-5 that would remain light. “We don’t want to have a very heavy MX-5. So if the MX-5 is 1.5 tonnes (3,306 lbs) of peak weight, that is not the MX-5,” he noted.
His final comments centered around how the MX-5 has to lead the brand: “What I can say is the MX-5 is our symbol. If the MX-5 becomes a battery EV, that battery EV should have very special characteristics, Jinba Ittai feeling, human-centric of our basic concept philosophies. That’s our hope.”
There’s a lot of space out there for a lightweight EV sports car that doesn’t compromise nimbleness in the name of range. Perhaps Mazda will go that route if energy density isn’t improved enough by 2030. It was certainly willing to sell the MX-30 with an incredibly limited range so there’s precedent for it.
Note: The lead image is an illustration and is not endorsed or related to Mazda.
