After the debuts of the Mazda CX-5, Mazda6 and Mazda3, it’s time for the automaker to turn its attention to its most beloved current model, the MX-5. The current third-gen car has been on the market since 2005. In this industry that’s a huge amount of time, and yet the MX-5 is still competitive against the likes of the new Scion FR-S/Subaru BRZ. In 2015, Mazda will debut the fourth-gen MX-5, which reports indicate will be lighter and more powerful than the outgoing car. Call it a back-to-basics engineering approach.
And now Auto Express has an exclusive image of what it claims to be the new MX-5. With styling taken directly from those aforementioned models, the new roadster is still instantly recognizable and albeit a bit sleeker. It’s still a fairly conservative look but we like what we’re seeing. Power will reportedly come from either 1.3- or 1.5-liter turbo four-pots, and it’s guaranteed that a six-speed manual will be offered alongside a slushbox. So is this the 2015 Mazda MX-5? We wouldn’t be disappointed in the least if it was.