Evidence That Mazda's Next MX-5 Miata Will Switch To Electric
The rumors flying around concerning which way the next-generation Mazda MX-5 Miata's powertrain will go appear to have reached a climax. And according to Britain's Auto Express magazine, the answer seems to be — fully electric, or at least an EV powertrain will be optional as will an all-new ICE unit.
The current model 'ND' version of the MX-5 has been on the market for more than ten years now and has practically become the antithesis of increasingly heavy electric sports cars like the MG Cyberster, Lotus Evija and Maserati GranTurismo Folgore. Hovering at around 2200 lbs since its inception way back in 1989, the tiny Mazda has stayed true to its original philosophy — lightweight sports.
Auto Express reports that it has uncovered patents, filed in the U.S. of the MX-5 Miata with electric power. These patents reveal batteries located in the transmissions tunnel in a coupe that can only be interpreted as the next-gen MX-5. The construction in the patent images goes against the typical pure EV 'skateboard' architecture which could make it difficult to reproduce the low-to-the-ground driving position we see in all previous roadsters.
Battery placement in the transmission tunnel is not new, with the most recent Lamborghini Revuelto's employing a 3.8kWh pack in its tunnel. While Mazda's new setup is pure electric, the Lamborghini uses its battery to complement a plug-in hybrid system.
The current Mazda MX-5 RF Sport. (Photo by National Motor Museum/Heritage Images via Getty Images)
The MX-5's conventional size, form, and weight distribution have been maintained by using this somewhat creative approach to battery integration. In addition to the transmission tunnel, Mazda has incorporated batteries behind both seats, similar to the layout in the upcoming Porsche Cayman EV.
Although it isn't stated in the patents, the necessity of a "transmission tunnel" in the first place clearly implies that the technology is built on a shared architecture between an internal combustion engined car with a conventional gearbox and a pure-EV. Mazda realizes that going full electric with its flagship sports car is too extreme and financially risky, so it's hedging its bets and will offer an EV and an ICE version.
According to Mazda's application, "the yaw moment of inertia can be further reduced because the battery is installed in the tunnel portion, allowing the vehicle's center of gravity to be near the middle of the vehicle.'
Mazda's well-known "Jinba-ittai" (horse and rider as one) philosophy has made the MX-5 seem more agile since its inception. The "yaw of inertia" that Mazda is referring to here is basically the vehicle's directional change, so decreasing this helps make a car handle better.
While the British magazine mentions that Mazda has not leaked any information on the potential battery size yet, we can be reasonably sure that it will get a unit larger than the 35.5kWh battery in the MX-30 SUV, which was prematurely canceled after its poor 100-mile range forced its exit from the U.S. lineup.
Given that the MX-5 has always been rear-wheel-drive, and given that the patent image shows a single electric motor behind the seats, we can expect the new 'NE' model to carry on the rear-drive tradition.
What will the new MX-5 look like? The company revealed the drop-dead good-looking, rotary-powered Iconic SP concept at the 2023 Tokyo Motor Show (now called the less impactful 'Japan Mobility Show'!) which the magazine suggests will influence the next MX-5's styling.
However, the patent application, which is merely named "electric automobile," does not confirm that the MX-5 would be electric-only. Earlier this year, Mazda unveiled its "multi-solution strategy" to provide customers with multiple powertrain sources, including battery electric vehicles, hybrids, and internal combustion engines.
As a result, we expect Mazda's new internal-combustion Skyactiv-Z engine to power the "NE" model, which will replace the current "ND" generation MX-5 later this decade. According to the company, the new powertrain will meet Euro 7 emissions regulations and serve as the foundation of Mazda's lineup "for small products in the electrification era.'
So expect the next MX-5 to offer two very different MX-5 Miata models by 2027, one delivering electric-only power and the other fitted with a conventional gasoline engine.
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