Next Mazda MX-5 goes back to basics

• New MX-5 due in 2014
• Will have a back-to-basics approach
• Turbocharged engine likely

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The all-new MX-5 will arrive in 2014, and be a back-to-basics sportscar like the 1989 original, Mazda’s research and development boss Hirotaka Kanazawa has revealed to What Car?.

He said: ‘We will return to the original. It will be lightweight and the cost will be lightweight too. It will be easy to handle and fun to drive.’

Kanazawa also revealed that Mazda’s new open-top rear-drive sportscar will employ the company’s new Skyactiv technologies. It is expected that the all-new model will weigh around 1000kg and be powered by a small-capacity turbocharged engine, not a normally aspirated engine, like all previous MX-5s.

Company insiders have also revealed that the new car will be a more committed driver’s car than the current generation, which has drawn criticism by being too comfort-oriented. However, some company officials are concerned that by being too focused it will alienate a section of customers. It’s highly likely, therefore, that several different models will be offered, including an extreme version with more power.

The new MX-5’s design is also likely to incorporate the company’s new Kodo design language as shown on the Takeri concept seen at the Tokyo motor show, design boss Ikuo Maeda told What Car?.

It will certainly incorporate the new family grille, and could have even more extreme lines than the saloon show car. The new MX-5 is also likely to be smaller than the current model.