New MX-5 will take engineering from this...
The next-generation Mazda MX-5 will use engineering ideas from the RX-8 - and a seven-year-old concept - in a bid to create a better-balanced, lighter car, according to reports on the web.
The new car, due to be revealed at the 2011 Tokyo motor show, will have a 'twin-backbone frame' construction similar to both the RX-8 and the Ibuki concept first revealed at the 2003 Tokyo show. Apparently, Mazda reckons that this design will allow it to create a soft-top with all the structural rigidity of a coupe.
The next MX-5 will also use the RX-8 and Ibuki's trick of putting the engine as far back as possible in the nose, effectively creating a front mid-engined layout.
...and design cues from this
The new MX-5 won't look like the Ibuki, however. As anyone with eyes (oh all right, and an interest in cars) will know, the show car's visuals were a preview for the current generation of MX-5 that's been with us since 2005.
Instead, the next MX-5 will take its visual cues from the Mazda Shinari concept (right) that was unveiled in Milan in August, which was the first car to showcase Mazda's new 'Kodo' design language.
The new MX-5's oily bits will most definitely draw inspiration fro mthe Ibuki's layout, however. As one Mazda engineer told Autocar, who first broke the story, "The Ibuki was not a one-off future concept car. It contains crucial aspects of the next-generation roadster."