Mazdaspeed MX-5 coming mid-2008, Kabura still in the works
The folks who bring us all the News from the Automotive world supplied Autoweek, their sister publication, details on what is to become of the Mazda lineup over the next three years. Most of it is predictable enough, including the new Mazda6, due to be unveiled in Frankfurt, the refresh of the Mazda3 and the possibility of bringing the Mazda2 Stateside at the turn of the decade.
What caught our interest was the news of a Mazdaspeed MX-5, which will predictably be packing the turbocharged 2.3-liter liter four-pot that currently resides in the Mazdaspeed3, albeit slightly detuned to efficiently package the radiator and intercooler.The Kabura concept, based off of the MX-5 underpinnings, may still be in the cards, as long as the automaker can include Europe and/or Japan in the production plans. Revisions would have to be made to the existing platform, but we suspect that it wouldn't take much to lengthen the wheelbase, slap on some new body panels and make the fixed-roof version of the Miata that we've longed for.
Also mentioned in the article was the forthcoming redesign of the RX-8, likely to bow sometime in 2009 or 2010, along with a new CX-5 which will likely draw cues from the Kuga concept set to be shown by Ford next month in Frankfurt. The only glaring omission: no mention of an RX-7 revival -- bummer.
[Source: Autoweek]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
chris 12:06PM (8/22/2007)
omg omg omg! New MSM FTW.
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sw 9:30AM (8/22/2007)
MSP3 engine, in an MX-5 body. Man oh man would that be one kickass summer toy.
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Tracy 6:13PM (8/30/2007)
I Love my `92 Miata, but have been disappointed in the looks of the updates. I'm hoping the `08 is another beauty. I am very happy with engineering of the new models and the solid reliability of what I own.
Ivey League Educated 9:46AM (8/22/2007)
I absolutely love Mazda's current design language! Thier cars are modern, flowing and down right sexy. Istead of lazily using OLD car designs (I'm talkin 'bout you big 2.869564158), Mazda is progressive and original is thier designs.
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Avinash machado 10:15AM (8/22/2007)
I think that Subaru should take lessons from Mazda on how to design great looking cars.
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MrKleen 10:20AM (8/22/2007)
MSP3 engine driving the correct wheels?!?!?! SWEET! the only thing I'm worried about is the price.
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Dustin 10:39AM (8/22/2007)
I'll get this out of the way right now, I'm a huge Mazda fanboy. They have always built the most fun cars to drive bar none. Besides the RX7, they finally hit there designs to match the great cars starting in 2001.
But is the Kabura really needed? They already have a hard top convert for the MX-5. I don't see it becoming anything unless it is the future RX7, or even something else, RX6? Whatever.
The RX8 is a dream of a car. Absolutely beautiful, now if they'd only turbocharge it from the factory and have a Mazdaspeed version, then I'd be all set.
Oh, and I've owned 4, soon to be 5 Mazdas, waiting for the 2008 Mazda5.
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epilonious 12:15PM (8/22/2007)
The kabura is meant to be an inexpensive RWD coupe.
Hyundai is making one, Ford has one, Toyota and Nissan are making noises about bringing theirs back.... If Mazda released the Kabura it would undoubtedly look the best, and very likely outperform them while costing about the same.
I don't want a miata, because I often take more than one other person and their stuff with me in the car, and the RX-8 is too expensive and gas-hungry.
I have a mazda3 and love it. The kabura strikes me as being a mazda3 minus one seat with rear wheel drive: a trade-off I would be more than willing to take and pay $20,000 for in another 3 or 4 years... especially if it looks anything like the concept.
If Mazda doesn't make it, I'll have to see if the next RX-8 doesn't eat as much gas... otherwise I'll probably just get another companies RWD vehicle.
Victor 11:04PM (8/22/2007)
MSP3 Motor in the MX5 hardop would run up on the track on alot of cars. If it is properly setup I could see this car easily in the 35k range.
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andrew 10:46AM (8/22/2007)
Wasn't the Kabura designed to fit a rotary engine. I remember an interview in Road and Tracka while back with the designer and they were saying it was the RX-7 replacement, if it ever happened.
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ernie 1:50AM (8/23/2007)
[quote]I don't want a miata, because I often take more than one other person and their stuff with me in the car, and the RX-8 is too expensive and gas-hungry.[/quote]
Have you gone to test drive one? I went last year, and the guy threw me about 5-6k off the sticker price, and 0.9% financing, pretty much as soon as I got back from the test drive, he then called me the next day and offered another thousand off. Unfortunatly, while the car is awesome, looks unique, its not really great on gas, and doesn't have enough low-end power ... i ended up with a 350Z. Still, if you don't mind taking the resale hit, I bet you could get one really cheaply ...
Aetius 11:03AM (8/22/2007)
I agree. There is no point for a Kabura-type car. The PRHT MX-5 is something along those lines and the Mazdaspeed MX-5 is even more so! And then you have the awesome Mazdaspeed3 and the next-gen Mazdaspeed6. My suggestion? Power up the RX-8 for now and start development on an all-new "supercar".
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YouFaceTheTick 11:10AM (8/22/2007)
WTF? No point in a Kabura? Are you on crack? There does not exist a compact RWD coupe in the USA. It's that simple. Not one compact coupe that's RWD. This is based on the Miata platform but because it has a roof, structurally it'll be tighter and lighter. Put those two concepts together, chief. A tight, lighter coupe-based MX-5 would be an insanely awesome driving car. It'll be everything the civic SI, Mazdaspeed3, GTI and Cooper want to be but can't because they're all driven by the wrong wheels. The Kabura is what the 1 series would have been 39 years ago. We're talking 2002 dimensions with 2008/09 technology. That's basically an orgasmatron.
Aetius 11:28AM (8/22/2007)
Yes but a company has to take into account practicality of such a product. If its affordable, it will cannibalize sales of practically every Mazdaspeed vehicle.
speedball3 11:56AM (8/22/2007)
I disagree that the kabura would cannabalize sales for every mazdaspeed vehicle. Each mazdaspeed has its own characteristics and features... ms3 is a hatch, ms6 is a sedan, and they're in different price ranges. The kabura might ding MX-5 sales a touch, but the mx-5 is a convertible, which probably drives most mx-5 sales (ask non-car people...most don't even know about its driving characteristics). A kabura would tap into demand for small, light, and affordable RWD coupe. It wouldn't have the utility of either the ms3 or ms6 so those attracted to the "4 doors, affordable, and fast" cars wouldn't be swayed by a small rwd coupe (but I bet they'd consider it).
jstand6 12:06PM (8/22/2007)
And also remember that the Kabura will most likely be powered the same 2.0L DOHC naturally-aspirated 4-cylinder that's under the hood of the Miata. Perhaps Mazda could offer the larger 2.3L version of the engine, but still naturally-aspirated. As such, the Kabura will not offer nearly the power of any of the Mazdaspeed vehicles, and will not cannibalize sales of them. The Mazdaspeed6 is going away anyways, as it never sold very well at all.
Aetius 12:22PM (8/22/2007)
Good point all! Well, I stand corrected. If Mazda sees the same logic behind the car, then I'm all up for having it in my favorite car maker's line-up :-) I still want them to keep away from the current trend of 'catering-to-every-need' that every automaker is engaged in but if they can differentiate the products well and not compromise the level of product quality and design, sign me up!
YouFaceTheTick 11:07AM (8/22/2007)
Kabura! Kabura!! In the immortal words of Wayne: Schwing!!!!!
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mk 4:11PM (8/22/2007)
KABURA!!!!
I have wanted one since seeing pictures of the concept.
I have an NB miata in the garage, and a coupe with a glass roof, that a 6'2" guy can fit in, that handles like a sports car should, with flexibile seating for 2-3 other passengers, sounds fantastic.
Turbo engine is a big bonus, although I can't agree more that Subaru should take this lesson. The other car in the garage is a Legacy GT turbo, and the tuned subaru engine is fantastic, and more powerful, and lower CG than the mazdaspeed turbo engine.
If Subaru and Mazda both made a car like the kabura, I would have a real hard time deciding which to buy.
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jstand6 11:44AM (8/22/2007)
I definitely disagree with the comments about the Kabura having no place in Mazda's line-up. The Kabura is exactly what Mazda needs:
PRICE:
Price-wise, the Kabura will slot in below the Miata, in the sub $20k range. That will be at least $5k below the retractable hard top Miata, and without the very limited production of that car.
CLOSED COUPE DESIGN:
A closed coupe design makes the Kabura lighter (better acceleration, handling, and braking), more rigid (better handling), and more aerodynamic (better top speed, better fuel economy). It also adds two small back seats, making the car much more practical than the Miata. Plus, it's safer.
HATCHBACK DESIGN:
This makes the car significantly more practical than the Miata, which opens it up to a much wider audience. The Miata's 5-cubic foot trunk turns off a lot of potential buyers.
So, basically think of the Kabura as a combination of the RX-8 without the rotary engine and tiny trunk, and a Miata without the roadster practicality limitations, all for under $20k. It sounds like a winner to me. A Mazdaspeed version, for let's say about $24-25k, would be stunning.
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