Can 4th-gen MX-5 Miata renew interest in small sporty cars? - Automotive News
is betting a lighter, sportier, more fuel-efficient redesign will offset the next MX-5 Miata's lower horsepower -- and rekindle waning demand in the roadster segment. In Japan, where the car went on sale last week, Mazda even lowered the entry price to woo buyers. The new MX-5 Miata will start at $25,735. That's a price bump of $945 over the outgoing 2015 model. And for the MX-5 Miata, it will be even more important. While Mazda aims to sell 30,000 MX-5 Miatas globally, North America is expected to soak up at least half that demand, chief engineer Nobuhiro Yamamoto said at the car's May 20 launch event here. Mazda CEO Masamichi Kogai said the nameplate's value to the brand extends beyond its sales numbers. "We don't have such high volume expectations, compared with the Demio [Mazda2] or Mazda3," Kogai said. It will help us raise the value of the Mazda brand. The Japan version of the car sheds more than 220 pounds to weigh in around a ton and achieves impressive fuel economy of between 40. 5 mpg and 43. 8 mpg under Japanese testing. Here, the new generation downsizes to a 1. 5-liter powerplant from the 2. 0-liter in the previous generation, and horsepower drops to 131 from 170. . The U. S. version will get a new Skyactiv direct-injection 2. 0-liter engine. Source: www.autonews.com
