Following in the footsteps of the Fiat 500 and the infamously adorable Mini Cooper, Mazda is looking to get in on all the personalization quirkiness associated with premium cars for the next-generation of the MX-5.
In a recent interview with UK magazine What Car?, Mazda designer Akira Tamatani told of more upcoming available options for the newest roadster in order “to help a customer’s relationship with the car.”
Along with a host of new customization details, Mazda engineers are looking to strip nearly 100 kg (220 lbs) from the next MX-5, leaving it with a final curb weight of around 1,000 kg (2,200 lbs) for the base model.
The publication says that power for the new roadster will come from a new 1.3-liter turbocharged engine, producing 33 more horsepower than the current 2.0-liter naturally aspirated unit for a total of 200bhp, along with a possible stripped out, hard core version soon after.
The newest Mazda MX-5, cooperatively developed with Alfa Romeo, is expected to go on sale in 2015 alongside the Italian automaker’s Spider.
By Jeff Perez
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