Mazda: Sprightly MX-5 slims down

The next generation MX-5 will get redesigned suspension and steering. Photo / Supplied

Mazda will use a more expansive version of its "Gram Strategy" to pull down the weight of its next-generation MX-5 sportscar, scheduled to be unveiled next year.

The method is part of the carmaker's SkyActiv technologies and prunes minute amounts of weight from each component, including drivetrains.

The focus on cutting bulk and improving efficiency is the key to the MX-5, expected to be considerably lighter than the existing 1120kg.

Mazda engineers are reportedly on track for a kerbweight of about 950kg as they aim to capture the spirit of the original 80s model and its pure driving experience.

Mazda has said that it hopes the body alone will account for a 10 per cent weight loss, even though it is likely to be 30 per cent stiffer thanks to the use of more high-strength steel. The chassis itself will also be 10 per cent lighter than that of the existing car, with redesigned suspension and steering offering lightness and agility at low speeds but a more secure feeling at high speeds.

A range of smaller-capacity SkyActiv engines - turbocharged 1.3-litre and naturally aspirated 1.5-litre units - will power the new car, replacing the 1.8-litre and 2-litre units on offer globally. Mazda New Zealand runs the 2-litre MX-5.

But engineers can be expected to limit the power output of the SkyActiv engines to about 120kW, or about that of the existing 2-litre unit.

Beefing up power would compromise the essence of "Jinba Ittai", the spiritual basis of its being, says MX-5 programme manager Takao Kijima.

Jinba Ittai - the synergy of rider and horse moving as one - is the product of Kansei Engineering and is a 30-year-old Japanese process where feel-good factors about a conceptual product find their way into the finished design.

It has been called "sensory engineering" or "emotional usability" and was used in the development of the first-generation MX-5. Says Kijima of Kansei Engineering: "Emotional values such as 'fun' and 'beauty' are a higher priority than the traditional engineering indices.

"All the senses are involved. Instead of 0-to-100km/h acceleration statistics, Kansei Engineering helps us understand how the car feels through the driver's sense of touch, how it sounds at speed, how it looks with the top folded, and what pleasant scents can be enjoyed during a spring drive."

Kijima says the project team used the Japanese artistic ritual "yabusame" as the symbol of Jinba Ittai - the ceremonial warrior art of shooting arrows at a stationary target from the back of a galloping horse. The custom dates back more than 1000 years.

"Updated to the 21st century, Jinba Ittai is similar to the bond between a Formula One driver and his car," he said.

"Yabusame stands for the cosy driver-car relationship targeted for the first-generation MX-5."

The first Mazda MX-5 went on sale in New Zealand in November 1989 with a price tag of $35,990. It weighed 960kg and was powered by an 88kW, 1.6-litre engine mated to a five-speed manual transmission.

The latest 2-litre, six-speed manual model starts at $51,100.