There’s been endless speculation about the future of the Mazda MX-5 (also known as the Miata). As this (fourth) generation ages, Mazda needs a new one to replace it, and there have been many rumors about what will power the next generation.
And while no specific powertrains have yet been confirmed for the next-gen Miata, Mazda CEO Masahiro Moro was very clear that electrification is in its future. “The successor must also be ready for a scenario without a combustion engine,” he told the German car magazine Auto, Motor & Sport.
Contradiction
That sounds like Moro is saying that the new MX-5 will come with a piston engine at first but be designed to eventually support an electric version. But there are some contradictions in Mazda’s statements about the matter.
Back in March, Mazda’s general manager of global sales and marketing told Australia’s GoAuto: “Eventually, in the future, if the technology is there, then we will think about a complete electrification. But at this moment, the internal combustion engine is the way (forward).”
However, in 2025, the magazine Auto Express found patents of a Mazda MX-5 with batteries in its transmission tunnel. That would indicate Mazda using a typical combustion car chassis but one that’s capable of housing batteries for future powertrains.
It seems like Mazda still wants to make a traditional sports car, just one that can handle electrification when the time comes. Fortunately, weight, or lack thereof, is still Mazda’s main priority, because it’s the core of what the MX-5 or Miata has always stood for: a light, nimble two-seater which doesn’t need big engines and power to be fun to drive in all circumstances.
Weight is the enemy
The problem with full electric cars is the weight of the battery, which is especially crucial in a small car that wants to be a handling example on the road.
“The challenge for us is to make the basic structure lighter without using exotic materials like carbon fiber,” Moro told Auto Motor und Sport. “The target weight for the developers is between just under 1,000 and 1,200 kilograms. And I believe we can achieve that.”
That’s about as heavy as the current Miata. If Mazda can pull off an electric version that comes in at even close to the current Miata’s curb weight, that’d be a monumental achievement.
No typical EV platform
Mazda wouldn’t be the first brand to place its batteries into the transmission tunnel and potentially under the hood. Maserati does it for the GranTurismo Folgore, with a T-shaped battery pack that sees most of it under the hood, close to the bulkhead, and the rest in the transmission tunnel.
Not only does that maintain a traditional weight distribution, rather than the typical skateboard battery pack design, but it helps the driver sit lower than in most EVs because they don’t have to sit on top of the battery pack. For something like a Miata, that makes more sense than a typical EV platform.
Wait and see
There’s no timeline yet as to when an electric Miata might happen. We can only hope that it’s sooner rather than later. If Mazda can truly nail its weight and balance goals, while providing the instant power of an electric powertrain, a Miata EV could be a truly awesome sports car.
From the beginning (1989-1997), the Mazda MX-5 ‘Miata’ (codenamed NA) has been outstanding in what it was meant to be: a small, affordable, lightweight roadster with a tiny 1.6 four-cylinder gasoline engine delivering 116 hp, that could enthuse its driver in almost all driving circumstances and especially on winding country roads where roadholding and nimbleness are more important than sheer power.
With the second generation (NB, 1998-2005) and the third (NC, 2006-2014), the MX-5 lost a little bit of its original appeal because it became (slightly) bigger, got bigger engines and, most importantly, gained weight as well as a version with a foldable steel roof, again adding ballast.
Fortunately, with the fourth generation (ND, 2015-?) Mazda wanted to go back to its roots, and it delivered a beautiful (Kodo design) dress for a once again small and light little sports car that had enough with its 1.5-liter 131 hp engine to deliver, despite the fact that outside Europe the car is only available with a 2-liter 160 hp engine.
The next, fifth generation (NE) will thus probably be launched with a SkyActiv Z gasoline engine, most likely with a (modest?) hybridization. The launch won’t be before 2028; the electric version will come afterward.
