Mazda will be launching a new model at this month’s New York International Auto Show (NYIAS), as stated on its show invite shared by Autocar. It’s a “world premiere” that will “blow the lid off”, the invite reads.
No more info, but the UK mag expects the debutant to be a hardtop version of the Mazda MX-5, the MX-5 Roadster Coupe. Autocar reasons that the fourth-gen ND MX-5 has been around for about a year now, and it makes sense for a coupe version to debut at this stage.
Mazda told the British publication late last year that the second-gen hardtop MX-5 would feature a lighter and more compact electronic folding roof mechanism than the NC, which was the first Miata to have a folding metal roof. The new Roadster Coupe will have more boot space than before as a result.
Mazda MX-5 convertible roof operation
We simply love the simplicity of the Mazda MX-5's manual convertible roof! Single-handed operation. Learn more about the Mazda MX-5:http://paultan.org/2015/08/21/mazda-mx-5-launched-in-msia-2-0l-6sp-auto-rm220k/http://www.carbase.my/mazda/mx-5
Posted by Paul Tan's Automotive News on Tuesday, 26 January 2016
It would be heavier than the soft top MX-5, and slightly more expensive, but the metal-roofed roadster is expected to be sell better than the original ND – AC points out that the previous-gen Roadster Coupe accounted for 80% of MX-5 sales in the UK, the majority going for extra practicality and better insulation over the rag top.
It has to be said that the soft top mechanism of the latest MX-5 is extremely easy to operate – opening or closing the roof takes merely a few seconds and not much strength is needed for the one-handed operation, as demonstrated in the video above.
Launched here in August 2015, the ND MX-5 is available as a 2.0 auto for RM220k. Read about the MX-5’s pure, minimalist approach to driving pleasure in our test drive report.
GALLERY: Mazda MX-5 in Malaysia
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