Mazda dismisses direct rival to 86, BRZ

Mazda has ruled out going head to head with Subaru and Toyota with a coupe version of the MX-5.

The iconic roadster – the world's best selling two-seater – will remain a convertible-only prospect, according to product manager Nobuhiro Yamamoto, leaving the coupe space to the Subaru BRZ and Toyota 86 twins.

"MX-5 is an open-top car … it has to be open," said Yamamoto emphatically when asked about the potential for a coupe model based off the open-top body, in much the same way as Porsche created the Cayman as a hard-top version of the Boxster convertible.

Mazda has previously toyed with the idea of a fixed-roof MX-5, creating a concept version of the original NA model in 1995, which never made it to production.

However, Yamamoto confirmed the company was working on a replacement for the folding hard-top version of the MX-5, designed to broaden its appeal, especially in markets such as the US and Australia.

"This is going to have a very long lie cycle, so within that we are also looking at a hard-top," said Yamamoto, who also confirmed it would likely be controlled by an electric folding mechanism, which adds about 100kg to the 1000kg weight.

"The current model is also electric hard-top, so yes we are investigating that."

The new MX-5, codenamed ND, will arrive in Australia in the third quarter of 2015.

For the first time it will be offered with the choice of two engines – a 96kW 1.5-litre and a 2.0-litre expected to produce between 125kW and 130kW.

The new car is shorter than the previous three generation of MX-5s and is 100kg lighter than the model it replaces, making it closer in principal to the original model that went on sale in 1989.