Mazda prepares the next MX-5 for an electric future, while combustion remains in the plan — for now
Mazda is designing the next-generation MX-5 to accommodate a future in which the roadster may have to do without an internal-combustion engine. President and CEO Masahiro Moro has set the development team an ambitious weight target of just under 1,000 kg to 1,200 kg. Mazda has not, however, confirmed a production battery-electric version, its battery capacity, power output or launch date.
Mazda’s position is more cautious than the headlines suggest
In an interview with Auto Motor und Sport, Moro said the MX-5’s successor must also be ready for a scenario without a combustion engine. To make that possible, Mazda wants to reduce the weight of the car’s basic structure without resorting to expensive carbon fibre or other exotic materials.
This is the clearest indication yet that Mazda is seriously considering an electric MX-5, but it is not a formal model announcement. Moro did not say that a battery-electric version had received final production approval. Nor did he reveal its battery size, number of motors, driven wheels or range.
Auto Motor und Sport says the next MX-5 could reach the market in 2028 at the earliest. Mazda itself has not confirmed a reveal date or production timetable.
Weight will decide the electric MX-5’s fate
Moro gave the engineers a target range of just under 1,000 kg to 1,200 kg. It remains unclear whether that range applies to the model family as a whole or represents the extremes of versions with different powertrains. He also did not specify the measurement standard behind the figures.
That makes comparisons with the current MX-5 less straightforward than they first appear. Mazda Germany lists the 1.5-litre soft-top at around 1,000 kg, while Mazda UK’s public pages currently show figures of both 1,003 kg and 1,106 kg, depending on the page or individual vehicle listing. The figures are not labelled consistently enough to prove that the difference is simply the weight of a 75 kg driver. Moro’s target should therefore not be compared directly with a single market-specific figure without a common measurement standard.
The naturally aspirated 1.5-litre petrol engine sold in Estonia produces 97 kW and 152 Nm. The soft-top accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 8.3–8.4 seconds and reaches 204 km/h. Prices currently start at €31,490 with local VAT.
Low weight is what allows the MX-5 to deliver engaging handling without huge power, oversized tyres or a complex all-wheel-drive system. An electric powertrain puts that formula under pressure because the battery, inverter, motor, cabling and cooling system all add mass.
A 1,200 kg electric roadster would be an exceptional achievement
The current MG Cyberster shows how heavy an electric roadster can become. Its rear-wheel-drive version uses a 77 kWh battery, produces 250 kW and 475 Nm, and weighs 1,885 kg. Its maximum WLTP range is 507 km. The 375 kW all-wheel-drive Cyberster weighs 1,985 kg.
Even at 1,200 kg, an electric MX-5 would be 685 kg lighter than the rear-wheel-drive Cyberster. The two cars occupy different size and performance classes, but the gap illustrates the scale of Mazda’s ambition.
Reaching that target would probably require a much smaller battery than the Cyberster’s, a single electric motor and no attempt to chase a class-leading range figure. Those are engineering inferences, not details Mazda has confirmed.
A smaller battery would suit the MX-5’s character, but it would also limit how the car could be used. Mazda would have to balance adequate range, an attainable price and lightweight handling. Too much battery would make the MX-5 heavy; too little could undermine the longer weekend trips for which many owners use their roadsters.
Combustion remains in the plan, but the specification is unconfirmed
Auto Motor und Sport reports that Mazda’s chief technology officer, Ryuichi Umeshita, said in April 2025 that the next MX-5 would receive the company’s new 2.5-litre four-cylinder Skyactiv-Z engine. The publication expects output of around 132 kW and says hybridisation remains possible, but Mazda has not published those specifications for the roadster.
Mazda’s own corporate material identifies the CX-5 as the first confirmed application for Skyactiv-Z. The 2.5-litre engine is due to be paired with Mazda’s own hybrid system and introduced by the end of 2027. Mazda’s publicly available technical material does not yet list the MX-5 as a confirmed Skyactiv-Z application.
A hybrid would not automatically be the easy compromise. A battery, electric motor and additional power electronics add weight while the combustion engine and transmission remain in place. Mazda would need to deliver a meaningful improvement in efficiency without compromising the manual gearbox, weight distribution or responses that define the car.
Mazda must preserve what makes the MX-5 special
The MX-5 has not endured because of one particular engine or engineering solution. Its real strength lies in the combination of accessible pricing, low weight, rear-wheel drive and immediate, communicative handling.
Electric power would not necessarily destroy that formula. A low-mounted battery could lower the centre of gravity, while an electric motor can deliver precisely controlled torque. The danger comes when the pursuit of range and performance pushes both weight and price beyond the MX-5’s traditional territory.
Mazda’s greatest achievement would not be building the fastest possible electric MX-5. It would be creating an electric sports car that weighs around 1,200 kg, remains reasonably priced and still feels unmistakably like an MX-5 on a twisting road.
