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More Radical MX-5 in the Pipeline?
By Michael J. DeWane | August 27, 2008
Multiple sources are taking a recent quote from Mazda Design Chief, Laurens Van den Acker, to indicate something bold and new in the works for Mazda’s little roadster. Commenting to Autocar he said the following: “The last one was too conservative and we can’t do another car like that. We need to make it more dramatic and give it some balls.”
This must be, at least in part, due to the impact of GM’s Solstice and Sky roadsters. Sure both cars are heavier and not as well thought out as the MX-5, but styling and excellent power options have set them apart. No doubt, the MX-5 is the one most people would rather spend time driving, but 260HP in the Solstice GXP is hard to ignore compared to the MX-5’s 160HP. It’s worth noting however that the Honda S2000 appears to have been the first casualty of the new roadster offerings from GM. Mazda soldiers on in the segment they reinvented with their first MX-5 in the summer of ‘89.
Expect some styling cues that may look as if they came from one of 
the recent concepts from Mazda. Mix that with a bit of direct injection power/economy and Mazda will be back in the fight for 2012 when the new model bows. Let’s hope they shave a bit of weight off too. Although lighter than all its competitors the current MX-5 has gained a bit of weight over its previous iterations.
Topics: Mazda |