Greetings from press day at the Paris show, where it's breakfast time and most of the world's motoring journalists are attacking trays of free croissants like packs of ravenous dogs. And, in between mouthfuls, we've been able to get some more details on the
forthcoming MX-5
The glamour of Paris, not caught in Mazda's pics
We've got an interview with MX-5 program manager Nobuhiro Yamamoto coming later, but a few nuggets of information have already dropped. Mazda has confirmed that the car will powered by a 1.5 litre Skyactiv-G four-cylinder petrol when it launches in Europe, with a 2.0 litre version in the 'States.
That's Mazda's clever lean-running naturally aspirated engine - no turbochargers here - and although we're going to be kept waiting for specs it's a fair bet that the engine in the MX-5 will produce more power than the similar capacity Skyactiv-G from the Mazda 3, which manages 99hp.
We've also been told the new car will be at least 100kg lighter than the outgoing version, suggesting a kerbweight of around 1050kg. Meaning, to save you the maths, the new 1.5 will have to make at least 112hp to match the 107bhp/ tonne power-to-weight ratio of the current 1.8; anything more than that will effectively be a bonus. Presuming the 2.0 litre engine produces more power then it's also a safe bet that, in the fullness of time, it will come to Europe as well.
Other stuff? Well Mazda is keeping its cards close to its corporate chest, but we're told that the new car's pricing will likely be just a modest increase, and also that a folding hardtop version is a near-certainty. Given the Paris show car has a six-speed transmission, we would expect that to be standard too. It will go on sale in the UK next summer.