EU patent office leaks 2009 Mazda MX-5 facelift
Click to view more renderings of the 2009 Mazda MX-5
Automakers go to great lengths to keep their upcoming products secret, but sometimes leaks are out of their control. Case in point, the recent leak of the upcoming redesign of the Mazda3 and now a facelift for the Mazda MX-5/Miata. With the roadster's full replacement reportedly delayed until 2012, Mazda is apparently going to give the current model a mid-cycle refresh with some more aggressive styling tweaks.
The leaked image, which Mazda apparently filed with the European Union Office of Harmonization for the Internal Market (OHIM), shows a restyled front end and that's it. The new mesh grille borrows from the Mazdaspeed3, the headlights grow a more aggressive slant, the foglights are restyled into eye-shaped surrounds, and the turning indicators are moved to behind the flared wheel arches. Other changes to the car's design may be in store as well, however the images, which you can view in the gallery below, show only the front end. Sources suggest the revised MX-5 may hit the market later this year or early the next, with a possible unveiling at the Paris Motor Show this fall.
Gallery: 2009 Mazda MX-5 patent renderings
[Source: Autoblog Spanish]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
BRAVENRACE 11:06AM (8/13/2008)
IMO, just what it needed.
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Injected 11:36AM (8/13/2008)
You mean besides the 2.3L DISI turbocharged and intercooled engine?
Xcountryflyer 12:33PM (8/13/2008)
Okay beyond an engine upgrade option...the mild facelift is a plus. It gets rid of the oval bathtub front end of the current model and moves it more corporate with the rest of the current Mazdas. It could be worse. It could like the Acura's new front ends.
Torrent 3:59PM (8/13/2008)
I KNOW THAT ISN'T THAT PLASTIC STRIP ON TOP OF THE GRILL....... RIGHT?
So help me God, I will bash this car.
Benfolio 11:06AM (8/13/2008)
I doubt that we will see the sidemarkers on the fenders. That's where they are on the current model overseas.
But I live it. Less jellybean-y, more in line with the 'family' face.
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Benfolio 11:08AM (8/13/2008)
Like it. LIKE. DAMN YOU KEYBROAD!!!
Rocketboy 11:37AM (8/13/2008)
Well, if you typed like a normal person, not with your hands up in the air like that, your keyboard might work better.
:)
LloydChiro 11:49AM (8/13/2008)
"Keybroad." Funny.
Benfolio 1:12PM (8/13/2008)
Too much sugar and CRAPACHINO!
Eric 11:09AM (8/13/2008)
Yah, still ugly.
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Ricky Bobby 11:10AM (8/13/2008)
First..
Screams Honda S2000 to me.
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John Johnson 11:13AM (8/13/2008)
I was about to post the S2000 comment too :)
ricotubbs 11:12AM (8/13/2008)
It's so darn happy! They're even going so far as to give it dimples this time around.
http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2009-mazda-mx-5-patent-renderings/973831/
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Alex 11:19AM (8/13/2008)
The 2nd generation was the best looking design, hands down.
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hhsohn 11:41AM (8/13/2008)
Second that. I like my Mazdaspeed Miata better.
ChopperDave 1:39PM (8/13/2008)
Third that. I still do the occasional double-take when I see one. Plus, Mazdaspeed ... mmmmmmmmm .....
verian04 11:28AM (8/13/2008)
looks like a pokemon face.
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Russell 11:29AM (8/13/2008)
Got UFO?
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yh 11:42AM (8/13/2008)
This is good news. I really don't like how the current generation Miatas (yes, it will always be a miata) look. The body lines are great, but the front (especially the wheel arches) makes the car look so damn fat... the "mini 6" look I think'll work well for this car.
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nighttime 11:41AM (8/13/2008)
2012 sounds so futuristic! stuff cars! give me a bloody jet pack!
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