Mazda’s ND MX-5 model is here to stay a bit longer

• Mazda has no planned agenda for its roadster.

• Battery weight is a factor right now.

• No one knows what will happen to the hybrid MX-5.

The presentation of the revised Mazda MX-5 for 2024 at the Tokyo Mobility Show may have disappointed a few fans of the roadster. Sold as is since 2015 (as a 2016 model), the only true sports car in the brand’s line-up is stretching its presence on our roads.

The more impatient among us may have expected to see the next generation of the model at this meeting in Japan, but the manufacturer only revealed the improvements expected on the current generation of the model, the fourth of the name, it should be remembered. The other presentation at Mazda’s booth took the form of an Iconic SP concept, heralding either the return of the RX-7 in electrified form or that of the MX-5.

Whatever the brand’s future, all indications are that the model’s biggest fans will have to wait a few more seasons before seeing the face of the fifth MX-5. At least, that’s what Product Development Program Director, Shigeki Saito, told the Australian website carsguide.com.au at the Tokyo Motor Show that the current generation of the convertible still has a lot to offer, not least thanks to its very high potential.

This statement is certainly bad news for the model’s purists, who would certainly have hoped for an intermediate generation between the gasoline-powered version and the one powered exclusively by electricity. Indeed, this change of tone leaves us wondering whether we’ll see an MX-5 hybrid on our roads in a few years’ time.

All the indications are that the full switch to electric power – or at least to a kind of in-between similar to the Iconic SP concept’s range-extending electric arrangement – will have to wait a few more seasons. By stretching the ND sauce a few more years, the brand’s engineers will be able to make the final adjustments to an eventual electric MX-5, which could even benefit from lighter battery technology, enabling its designers to retain the roadster’s legendary agility.

On the other hand, the program manager also confirmed that Mazda would be taking the opportunity to graft limited editions onto the model’s line-up, the manufacturer having already developed several such special versions over the course of the model’s history.

From this number, it’s safe to assume that a 35th Anniversary Edition could join the MX-5’s options next year to mark the model’s 35th anniversary, although at the time of writing it was too early to know more about these forthcoming special editions. We’ll find out soon enough.