Mazda Australia says buyers want an analogue next MX-5, not an electric one

Australians want petrol, says Mazda's local boss

Australians have little appetite for an electric version of the Mazda MX-5, according to Mazda Australia managing director Vinesh Bhindi. Speaking to CarExpert at the local launch of the electric CX-6e SUV, Bhindi said: "We don't see that many customers coming into the showroom and saying, 'An electric MX-5? That'd be for me'." ¹

Bhindi acknowledged to CarExpert that Mazda president Masahiro Moro has indicated the next MX-5 would have some level of electrification, but said the conversation on the showroom floor is instead MX-5 owners asking when they can get the pure analogue version of the next generation. He added that if an electric version were produced and offered as an option, it could attract a different type of buyer to the brand, saying Mazda would be happy to take one. ¹

Global signals point to a dual-pathway successor

Moro told Germany's Auto Motor und Sport that Mazda is preparing the next-generation MX-5's platform for full electrification, fueling speculation the fifth-generation roadster could be offered with both petrol and electric powertrains. As Torquecafe reported, Moro said the successor "must also be ready for a scenario without a combustion engine", and that Mazda's engineers believe an EV version could come in under 1200kg. ³

Moro set respective target kerb weights of "just under 1000kg and 1200kg" for combustion-powered and electric versions of the next MX-5, telling the German publication the challenge is to make the basic structure lighter without using exotic materials like carbon fibre, according to Torquecafe. CarExpert separately reports a global reveal for the 'NE' MX-5 remains years away, citing Mazda Europe design director Jo Stenuit. ³¹

Those electrification comments sit alongside a firm petrol commitment from Mazda's global sales and marketing chief. GoAuto reports Manabu Osuga confirming the next-generation MX-5 will remain petrol powered, describing the model as the last to adhere to its current formula, staying under one tonne of weight and employing Mazda's 'gram strategy' as with the current series. ⁴

Osuga told GoAuto that electrification technology is currently very heavy and would not satisfy MX-5 fans, though he did not rule out future electrification if the technology matured. "But at this moment, the internal combustion engine is the way (forward)," he said. He also cautioned, per GoAuto, that tougher global environmental regulations and safety protocols do not necessarily correlate with a car designed for pure fun. ⁴

GoAuto's reporting also points to Mazda chief technical officer Ryuichi Umeshita telling Road & Track in April 2025 that the fifth-generation car would keep lightweight construction, naturally aspirated petrol power and a manual transmission, built around a 2.5-litre iteration of the Skyactiv-Z engine family designed to meet California's LEV IV and Europe's Euro 7 standards through Lambda:1 stoichiometric operation. Focus.de, carrying Motor1.com's original report, notes the Skyactiv-Z 2.5-litre is set to debut in the hybrid CX-5 in 2027. ⁴⁷

Emissions pressure already shaping the current car

The regulatory squeeze is already biting overseas. As Torquecafe reports, citing Autocar, the 2.0-litre MX-5 has been dropped from the UK after an extended sales period granted through differing derogation timings, with the 2.0-litre having earlier been dropped from European markets in 2024 due to changing emissions regulations. Only the 1.5-litre model will be imported there once existing stock sells through. ³

Australia has gone the other way: Torquecafe notes the inverse occurred locally in late 2021, when the 1.5-litre engine was dropped and the 2.0-litre became the only option, a sales-based decision with the 1.5 understood to account for less than 10 per cent of deliveries. Despite the UK being a right-hand-drive market, Torquecafe understands the MX-5 is under no immediate threat in Australia. ³

The current ND-generation launched in 2015 and is entering its twelfth year on sale. Torquecafe reports Australian ND MX-5 deliveries peaked at 1577 in 2016, bottomed out at 442 in 2019, and reached a recent high of 821 in 2025, making it one of Australia's most popular sports cars, outsold among sports cars only by the Ford Mustang (4052), BMW 2 Series (1175) and Mercedes-Benz CLE (934). ³

What Australians can buy today

The 2026 MX-5 range in Australia is priced from $42,140 plus on-road costs for the base Roadster manual, with Chasing Cars noting that works out to about $47,000 driveaway. Chasing Cars lists the Roadster GT manual from $48,790 plus on-road costs, the GT RS roadster at $51,790 and the RF GT RS at $56,290, all before on-road costs. CarExpert's spec page quotes drive-away pricing from $46,675 to $61,485 for a Sydney location. ²⁸

Every variant uses the 2.0-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder petrol engine with 135kW and 205Nm, driving the rear wheels through a six-speed manual or automatic, according to CarExpert's model page. The GT RS adds lighter BBS forged wheels, Bilstein dampers, Brembo front brakes and a track stability-control mode, while the limited 35th Anniversary edition brought unique Artisan Red paint and tan Nappa leather; CarExpert reports just 50 examples came to Australia at $51,140 plus on-road costs and all sold out. ⁸²⁶

Weight remains the car's defining attribute: Chasing Cars cites 1015kg for the base model, and CarExpert lists 1070kg for the 35th Anniversary manual. That lightness is precisely what Mazda executives say the next generation must preserve, and what an electric version would struggle to match, given CarExpert notes the lightest EV on sale in Australia, the BYD Atto 1 Essential, weighs 1294kg, roughly 200kg more than the current MX-5. ²⁶¹

Context: NVES and the electrified Mazda line-up

Bhindi's showroom comments came as Mazda works within Australia's New Vehicle Efficiency Scheme. GoAuto reports Mazda Australia accumulated the largest liabilities of all 70 car-makers in the NVES Regulator's first report, though Bhindi told the publication that passing NVES penalties to customers "will be the last option we take", describing the legislation as a secondary consideration behind meeting customer needs. ⁵

Mazda's local electrified line-up is expanding around the MX-5 rather than because of it: GoAuto reports the China-built 6e sedan and CX-6e electric SUV joining Australia this year via the Changan partnership, with a hybrid CX-5 not due until late 2027. That backdrop underlines why the petrol-only MX-5 remains viable locally while stricter European rules have already curtailed the 2.0-litre there. ⁵³