Update: Mazda Reveals Next-Generation MX-5 Chassis
While we were hoping for a proper debut of the fourth generation Miata at this year’s New York Auto Show, when it comes to the forthcoming all-new Miata, we’ll take what we can get. And what we get is word from Mazda that the Skyactiv chassis of the newest MX-5 will be leaner, meaner, and more honest to the original intent of the diminutive sports car.
With the engine pushed further back and lower than in any previous generation MX-5, Mazda touts that with this newest Miata, "the soul of the sports car is not only revisited but reinvented." Whether or not that claim pans out, we can say that we’re excited about the 220 pound weight reduction, which should bring the total curb weight to about 2300 pounds.
Mazda reports that more details are forthcoming "at a date closer to the vehicle’s launch." We’ll be sure to keep you posted, and don’t forget to check back at the overview page for the new MX-5 for the latest updates as we have them.
MAZDA PREVIEWS FUTURE OF MX-5 MIATA WITH ALL-NEW SKYACTIV-CHASSIS
– Next-Generation Roadster Returns to Fundamentals of Fun with Lighter, Stronger Body –
Apr 16, 2014
NEW YORK, April 16, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — With weeks, perhaps months, of bated-breath anticipation, anxiety and hope hanging in the proverbial car enthusiast air, Mazda today confirmed development details of the highly-anticipated next-generation MX-5 Miata roadster. Making its world debut during a press conference at the New York International Auto Show (NYIAS), the vehicle’s all-new SKYACTIV®1-CHASSIS bared its sports car soul and affirmed that the future model would be lighter, stronger and with a physical footprint more in tune with its first-generation predecessor than with its heavier, larger current-day cousin.
Mazda North American Operations is headquartered in Irvine, Calif., and oversees the sales, marketing, parts and customer service support of Mazda vehicles in the United States and Mexico through nearly 700 dealers. Operations in Mexico are managed by Mazda Motor de Mexico in Mexico City. For more information on Mazda vehicles, including photography and B-roll, please visit the online Mazda media center at www.mazdausamedia.com.
"This SKYACTIV-CHASSIS expresses a deep-dive chronicle – complete with beginning, middle and conclusion – of the passion, challenges and triumphs being poured into the next-generation MX-5 Miata," said Robert Davis, senior vice president, U.S. Operations, Mazda North American Operations (MNAO). "The dedication of the R&D and Design teams to honor the vehicle’s dynamic heritage and globally-recognizable features is evident from the chassis’ structural blueprint, and will undoubtedly translate into what we believe will be a remarkable production car."
With the fourth-generation MX-5, the soul of the sports car is not only revisited but reinvented. With no richly layered, character line-laden sheet metal to hide beneath, the SKYACTIV-CHASSIS lays out a narrative of MX-5’s continuing story with a perfectly arranged table of contents. This chassis is the first time SKYACTIV TECHNOLOGY has ever been shown in a front mid-ship engine rear-wheel-drive design. Also, its compact configuration showcases an engine closer to the vehicle’s center, a center of gravity which itself is lower than that of any previous generation. And not only lower but decidedly leaner with a weight reduction goal of more than 220 lbs (100 kg), all with the goal of continuing to achieve the highest standards of body rigidity and collision safety performance.
This unwavering determination to keep the MX-5 faithful to its roots of being compact, light and fun-to-drive also is a further evolution of the brand’s Jinba Ittai signature – the oneness between a car and its driver. An early example is that of engineers painstakingly researching the optimum driver position for behind-the-wheel excitement and comfort as further proof that a driving experience intertwined with a history of courage, creativity and conviction is the Mazda way.
More information on the next-generation MX-5 Miata will be announced at a later date closer to the vehicle’s launch.
Mazda North American Operations is headquartered in Irvine, Calif., and oversees the sales, marketing, parts and customer service support of Mazda vehicles in the United States and Mexico through nearly 700 dealers. Operations in Mexico are managed by Mazda Motor de Mexico in Mexico City. For more information on Mazda vehicles, including photography and B-roll, please visit the online Mazda media center at www.mazdausamedia.com.
1 SKYACTIV is a registered trademark of Mazda Motor Corporation (MC).
Logo – http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131205/MM28870LOGO
SOURCE Mazda North American Operations
For further information: Beverly Braga, Mazda North American Operations, (949) 727-6751; Eric Booth, Mazda North American Operations, (949) 727-6144
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