Mazda’s Next-Gen Miata Will Be Small, Light, and Manually Shifted

From design on up, Mazda’s leadership believes in the core values of its popular pint-sized sports car.By Elana ScherrPublished: Apr 16, 2025Save Article

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• The next-generation Mazda MX-5 Miata will have a naturally aspirated engine and a stick-shift transmission.
• The goal of every new Miata design is to stay small and light, according to the company’s leadership, who also “hates weight.”
• While there are no plans for an electric Miata, there’s a possibility of a larger sports-car offering from Mazda.

The Mazda Miata is not Mazda’s bestselling vehicle in the United States. That would be the CX-5, but it’s the Miata we always want to know more about. While in Japan, we sniffed out a few clues about the future of the MX-5.

Fans will be happy to hear that across the board, from designer Masashi Nakayama to moneyman CFO Jeff Guyton, Mazda execs seem in lockstep regarding the importance of keeping the Miata in the Mazda lineup and keeping it lightweight, naturally aspirated, and available with a manual transmission.

Over dinner, Guyton reiterated Mazda’s commitment to weight savings, declaring that the company “hates weight” and that where other brands see value in performance alone, Mazda sees it in performance without adding mass.

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For design chief Nakayama, who led the redesign on the fourth-generation MX-5, the challenge was in pushing back against a market that clamors for more horsepower and bigger interiors, and at the same time, penning a shape that moved Miata into the future, rather than miring it in nostalgia. “I’m confident I made the Miata much cooler than the original,” Nakayama said, sketching the eager front fascia of an NA Miata and then the more edgy ND. “I didn’t use the first generation for a reference. I used the original design briefings. I didn’t want to do like Mini or VW and make a nostalgia design. If you look at the original goal, you can move forward.”

Nakayama said that there was pressure to make the car bigger and more powerful, but that the goals were always to have it weigh less than one ton and measure out under four meters (13.12 feet). “We think of Miata like a motorcycle. The weight shouldn’t change. I said, ‘We are not going to make Miata bigger.'” He adds that the intimate confines of the MX-5 are part of its appeal. “The person driving is part of the silhouette like a bicycle or a motorcycle. It’s a vehicle for people to fall in love.” Asking if he meant with Miata or with one’s passenger just earned us a smile.

Of course, it’s all well and good for the artist in the company to want to keep Miata small and simple, but many a beautiful design gets weighed down before it makes it to market. Mazda’s chief technical officer, Ryuichi Umeshita, said that’s not something he’d let happen to the Miata. “What defines MX-5 is first lightweight, and second, lightweight. That is the key. Whatever the future MX-5 is, it must be very light. That’s it.” Umeshita said that the ND Miata is lighter than the NC, despite there being more challenges to passing crash-test regulations with a lightweight car. “We reviewed all the history and step by step, generation by generation, that car got bigger. But we felt that we are losing something because of that. So that the current generation is smaller and lighter and close to the first generation, the original Miata.”

Umeshita said that there are no plans to give the next Miata a turbocharged engine or an electric powerplant unless there are no other options. “If all ICE engine are banned, then we have no choice,” he said, shaking his head sadly. “And, of course, our engineering team is studying both ways. Battery-EV Miata and ICE-engine Miata. But whatever we do, ICE-engine-based one is lighter.”

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He also said that Mazda feels like current power-to-weight ratios are ideal for the Japanese philosophy of “Jinba Ittai,” which refers to the connection between rider and steed for the best experience. For the same reason, he said there are no plans to move to a dual-clutch transmission or other automated gearboxes. “Manual transmission gives us the feeling of maneuvering the car by ourselves. And our promise of driving dynamics, the oneness between car and driver; natural aspiration, lighter weight, and manual transmission are key for that package.”

Our final question for Umeshita was that if there were no plans for a bigger Miata, might Mazda consider applying some Jinba Ittai to a future sporty sedan, or perhaps partnering with another car company for something like the Subaru/Toyota BRZ and GR86. “We haven’t decided anything yet,” he answered, “But if we go to the super-sports category, then it should be faster and maybe not just manual. There, more advanced transmission technology can be used, but not for MX-5. As for partners, there’s always a possibility because the sports-car business is a small-volume business. If we have a partner to share that volume, we share the investment. So, we cannot say anything about the future, but there’s a possibility always, especially for the sports car.”