Rumors have been percolating that the next Mazda Miata might be an electric vehicle, or at least electrifed.
Yes, I know the buffs had this about a week ago (we have a small team, remember), but it’s worth digging into a bit.
To be clear, it appears that the Miata will still have a gas engine and available manual transmission, at least for one more generation, but European patent documents filed in April show a Miata-looking vehicle with an electric motor in the front.
Not only that, but the motor and batteries would be setup in such a way that the car would maintain 50/50 weight distribution. This vehicle would be rear-wheel drive.
It’s not clear if the car in the patent docs is a Miata or perhaps a new model that Mazda has planned. There’s a drawing of a car that looks like the Miata — but that doesn’t necessarily mean that this patent is targeted at that car.
Nor does it mean Mazda will even build a vehicle with this setup.
It will be worth keeping an eye on, either way.
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