TOKYO — Although no official announcement has come yet from Mazda Motor Corporation, Inside Line has learned that big changes are in the works for the next-generation Mazda MX-5 Miata.
Expected to debut in 2011, the future MX-5 roadster is likely to be smaller than the current model, and should tip the scales at a lean 2,200 pounds.
Under the hood will be a SKY-G engine, the all-new power plant Mazda quietly introduced at the 2009 Tokyo Auto Show. This naturally-aspirated 1.3-liter gasoline-powered inline-4 is expected to deliver more than 50 mpg, with some saying it can get up to 70 mpg. And it isn't a hybrid setup or a diesel, but a gasoline-burning engine. This figure was calculated with the engine powering a compact car about the size of the Kiyora showcar (shown in Geneva and Tokyo).
A new SKY-G engine is being produced for the MX-5. It's not known whether the new roadster's power plant will use 1.3 or 1.5 liters of displacement. Expected to have a rating near 150 horsepower, the new engine would maintain the Miata's current power-to-weight ratio.
The secret to this astronomical fuel mileage hasn't yet been released, but IL has heard that Toyota has already inquired about the SKY-G.
Inside Line says: Sound too good to be true? We'll see in the next several months. — Mak Tokuyama, Correspondent
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zippys_dad says:
10:25 AM, 07/30/2010
I love my 07 MX-5 just the way it is. O.K so maybe I would trade a few miles a gallon for more HP
but it's pretty near perfect for what it was created to be. An affordable little roadster that will run practically forever. Give us what we want, not what you think the Government wants you to give us.
garyjay says:
07:40 PM, 02/22/2010
Maybe they should have 2 styles of the MX5. One for the rest of the world which is worried about the size of the vehicle and the gas mileage....and the other for the larger Americans who like to have a bit more room and power and who drive their cars for FUN. When it comes to the size of the car and engine.... BIGGER IS BETTER. I think a lot of current MX5 owners would vote for more leg room and more horsepower.
kentman says:
07:19 AM, 12/24/2009
Until it is official, it's pure speculation. I want sub-one-ton.
imclarkkent says:
04:03 PM, 12/17/2009
People don't buy miatas because they are fuel misers; they buy them because they are FUN. How about instead of worrying how much one of the US's few options for a truely affordable roadster gets for gas mileage, they worry about fixing it's one achilles heel...the Miata NEEDS more hp. Give the thing a P/w ratio closer to 13:1, and they'll have a halo car for the everyman.
aviboy97 says:
08:05 AM, 12/12/2009
I am a huge Mazda fan, but, I must say, to hear that Mazda all of a sudden figured out to get 50mpg out of a gas burning engine when their current engines get mid 30's at best. The SKY-G engine must have a flux compasator....
michiganwllz says:
07:44 PM, 12/10/2009
hey gmhl10 - So what are you willing to give up to get that kind of weight? Airbags? Side-impact door beams? Hardware for ABS, traction control, stability control, etc.? Or maybe you're willing to give up power windows and locks, maybe even power steering? Maybe you'd be willing to give up emissions equipment? Or maybe you're willing to give up rigidity which has helped cars ride better and handle better.
But the biggest reason today's cars are heavier is because they're bigger. Civics are about the size of an Accord from 30 years ago.
The automakers don't build this stuff because they are trying to push bigger, heavier cars on a public that doesn't want it. They do it because it's what we want.
thejohnp says:
05:06 PM, 12/10/2009
My question is when (if ever) will the US start getting those Sky-D diesel engines? Someone needs to start giving VW/Audi a run for their money in available US diesels.
gmhl10 says:
05:02 PM, 12/10/2009
I'm sure part of the good mpg is the low weight at 2200 lbs.
It's a shame most cars aren't made this light anymore.
mortal1 says:
03:31 PM, 12/10/2009
We're not getting this engine until the next generation mx-5 comes out in '12 or 13. The thing is, with 150hp the current miata would have to lose ~300Lbs to maintain the same power ratio. The next gen miata will be lighter, so I can definately see this happening, but not in 2011 (at least not without a stock turbo).
cino_iconic says:
01:51 PM, 12/10/2009
"IL has heard that Toyota has already inquired about the SKY-G."
What do they want from that engine? Boxer+ D-4S + SKY-G? sound to good to be true... JK
They may want to figure out why Mazda can do it.
firstclass says:
01:31 PM, 12/10/2009
I hope this doesn't turn out to be the next gas myth like the carburetor that can make a car get 100mph.