Mazda put out a press briefing yesterday, which detailed its electrification and investment plans for the next 10 years or so. It was a pretty dry speech as usual, with a rough outline on Mazda’s strategy in the near future, but hidden right at the very end of the video was something a little more special – a rendering of a two-door sports car, dubbed the Vision Study Model.
To make matters even more interesting, the concept was shown off after a short ad spot featuring multiple generations of the Miata, a lot of happy people, and also many happy people in Miatas. Could this really be our first look at the next-gen Mazda MX-5? There’s certainly ground to believe so…
Mazda didn’t provide any other details aside from just showing off the render, nothing about its purpose, nothing about its market segmentation, and nothing about what’s powering it. Just by looking at it, though, we’re pretty certain it’s roughly the same size as the current fourth-generation ND Mazda MX-5.
The video also includes a short segment on its chassis… which we’re guessing is probably just an “artist’s interpretation” model. But there are a few interesting things to note here, such as what appears to be a T-shaped battery instead of a skateboard-style packaging, and the lack of an internal combustion engine.
The next-gen Mazda MX-5 has been previously rumoured to be electrified, although later reports claim that it’ll still have a petrol engine, with mild-hybrid technology tacked on.
And that’s pretty much all that’s shown, but it sure is pretty, though. It looks somewhat like a mix between the Mazda RX-7 and the ND MX-5, with smooth curves that remind us of recent Mazda cars, plus massive haunches that gives it proper sports car sex appeal. The rear end also has a slight hint of the Lotus Elise, although the front is unmistakeably Mazda.
It’s not a convertible, yes, but this also wouldn’t be the first time Mazda has made a coupe-style MX-5 model. It’s just a concept (or a mere design study) for now, but we know we’ll be praying every night from now on, wishing that they’ll build it. Please, Mazda.
RELATED: Mazda to kill pure ICE – Hybrid and EV only by 2030
