Next-gen Mazda MX-5 ‘NE’ 2028: imagined and confirmed for Australia as halo sports car

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As firmer details begin to emerge about the size, weight and powertrain of the next-generation Mazda MX-5, Australian fans can be certain of one element: the ‘NE’ MX-5 will come down under.

Asked whether Mazda Australia will bring the next-gen MX-5 to local shores, no matter its final form, managing director Vinesh Bhindi told Chasing Cars: “oh, yes!”

“The whole company back in Japan has strong ambitions and desire [for] the MX-5 as our sports car and a true reflection of what Mazda is about when it comes to Jinba Ittai and Zoom-Zoom,” said Bhindi.

“Australia is not a huge market [for MX-5]; in markets like the US, Europe, and Japan, there are a lot more [sales], but we intend to keep the MX-5 going.

“It is one of my favourite cars,” Bhindi told Chasing Cars.

Small footprint remains with iconic SP-inspired design

Digital artist Theottle has imagined for Chasing Cars what the next-gen MX-5 will look like, with its simple surfacing, modernised lighting, taut proportions and minimal visual mass reflecting an evolutionary, rather than revolutionary, step.

The Chasing Cars renderings imagine the two-door roadster version of the ‘NE’ MX-5, which will continue as the core offering, though an RF-style targa fastback version, well-received by buyers, will probably return later.

Behind closed studio doors, Mazda global design division general manager Masashi Nakayama is overseeing the styling of the ‘NE’ MX-5, which was influenced by the Mazda Iconic SP concept that broke cover at the 2023 Japan Mobility Show.

Skyactiv-Z engine upsized to 2.5-litres

Senior Mazda sources have already confirmed that the next MX-5 has exciting dynamic targets.

A sub-4000mm length, sub-1000kg kerb weight, and a similarly perky power-to-weight ratio to the current version’s 126kW/tonne are on the cards.

In an April 2025 interview with US publication Road & Track, Mazda chief technical officer Ryuichi Umeshita said the key development priority was light weight.

Umeshita said the new MX-5’s powertrain was likely to be upsized from 2.0-litres to a 2.5-litre unit to achieve the perfect lambda:1.0 air-fuel mixture essentially required to pass Euro 7 regulations, promising a clean and efficient fuel burn to reduce emissions.

Reducing the richness of the MX-5’s air-fuel mixture compared to the present vehicle will result in a lower power output — hence Mazda’s solution to boost displacement by 500cc to compensate for this.

Manual stays, no hybrid or electric MX-5 for now

That is particularly necessary as the ‘NE’ is not expected to gain a turbocharger, though attempts to eliminate the manual transmission have been staved off in the name of keeping enthusiasts happy for as long as possible.

The 2.5-litre engine is widely expected to be sourced from Mazda’s new-generation ‘Skyactiv-Z’ internal combustion (ICE) powertrain family, which can have mild and full hybrid systems bolted onto it.

But for now, the ‘NE’ MX-5 is understood to have resisted the need for even a mild hybrid system, though advancing emissions regulations in Europe (and Australia) could necessitate such technology in future and the powertrain will be capable of this.

Mazda engineers did study turning the MX-5 into a battery electric vehicle (BEV) but battery technology has not advanced fast enough to preserve truly light weight in such a car.

Mazda has filed patents in the United States showing a non-skateboard BEV platform for a two-door sports car that uses a T-shaped battery, plus a small additional battery under the passenger seat, for superior weight distribution.

This design could be used for a different Mazda sports car that is larger than an MX-5 in the future.

Timing could see ‘NE’ revealed 2027 for 2028 release

Unknowns about the ‘NE’ include its precise power/torque outputs, RPM limit, plus the sound and character of the new engine. Questions exist about the nature of its infotainment and ADAS software stack. 

Australian Mazda boss Bhindi warned that the ‘NE’ is “not immediate” and that the fourth gen ‘ND’, which launched 10 years ago in 2015, is “here to stay” for the time being.

That’s partially because Mazda’s new hybrid Skyactiv-Z ICE engines are not yet ready for production, with prototypes of the CX-5 midsize SUV sporting ‘Z’ family powertrains unlikely to hit the road until 2026.

At this stage, the ‘NE’ MX-5 is expected to break cover in 2027 for a possible Australian release in 2028.

Seven versions of the ‘ND’ are sold locally, all utilising a 135kW/205Nm 2.0-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder and either a six-speed manual or automatic. 

Pricing for the 3915mm-long ‘ND’ ranges from $42,735 to $56,885.

Sales of the ‘ND’ in Australia have stabilised in recent years, bouncing back from their nadir of 495 units in 2022 to 653 (2023) and 662 (2025). The current gen’s greatest success was found immediately after launch in 2016 (1577 sales) and 2017 (1459).