All-New Mazda MX-5 debuts in Geneva

In its final form, the new Mazda MX-5 is more powerful, more capable, more comfortable, and more useful. It offers several new features and further improves occupant protection from collision injury. Yet, thanks to Kansei Engineering efforts, curb weight has only increased by approximately 10 kg (22 pounds).

While saving weight is a top priority for achieving Jinba Ittai, other concerns were the stiffness of the unibody structure, the height of the car’s centre of gravity, 50:50 weight distribution and the vehicle’s moment of inertia about the vertical (yaw) axis. (A lower yaw moment of inertia quickens the vehicle’s responsiveness to the driver’s steering commands.) Each of these parameters strongly influenced the new Mazda MX-5’s overall fun-to-drive characteristics.

A stiff body structure is an essential ingredient in the feeling of oneness between the driver and the car. Thanks to shrewd analysis and the application of advanced materials such as ultra-high-tension steel, the new unibody delivers an increase of 22 percent for flexural stiffness and 47 percent for torsional rigidity compared to the previous-generation Mazda MX-5. And moving the engine rearward by 135 mm (5.3 inches) was a major step towards balancing front-to-rear weight distribution and reducing the yaw moment of inertia. Delightful Design

Seeing and touching are critical parts of development, so it was crucial that the new Mazda MX-5 looks and feels like a spirited sports car. This is a discipline of large and small details—the relationship of the wheels to the overall body shape at the grand end of the scale, down to the way the shift knob rests in the driver’s hand at the fine end.

The original Mazda MX-5 thrived for 16 model years with but one major update. The design of the original 1990 model has been described as being a classic expression of simple, friendly and fun, for it carefully celebrated the virtues of compactness and efficiency.

Exterior Design The new Mazda MX-5 is clearly the son of its father. Exterior design themes had to include the "fun" factor as well as "modern styling." To achieve this, the all-new Mazda MX-5 had to remain approachable and fun, but had to be updated with modern styling cues to communicate both the simple functionality of a modern lightweight sports car and the athletic solidity of a true sports car, both of which remain obvious Mazda MX-5 design DNA attributes.

The most notable departure from the previous exterior shape is the elimination of the classic "Coke bottle" shape of the contours. The nose and tail are smoothly tapered, as before, but now the surfaces wrap smoothly between the wheels without narrowing. The functional benefit of this change is a wider cockpit with additional hip, shoulder, and elbowroom. In addition, the space needed for side air bags is available.

The fender arches of the new Mazda MX-5 are notably more pronounced to accommodate the substantially wider wheel track dimensions and to provide a more athletic stance. 17-inch wheels, that are larger and wider than before, are available to define the corners of the car consistent with Mazda design DNA. The wide shoulder area of the body tapers to a narrower sill to lend a light-on-its-feet look.

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