The Mazda MX-5 Miata is one of the best cars you can buy, if you want something fun and relatively inexpensive. The future of sports cars remains a bit unclear, thanks to the crossover and growing number of electric vehicles, but Mazda is keen on keeping its beloved MX-5 around.

2019 Mazda MX-5 Miata 30th Anniversary Edition

The current fourth-generation (ND) MX-5 was released four years ago, so Mazda is already brainstorming the fifth-generation (NE) MX-5. With the growing demand for electric and hybrid vehicles, could the next MX-5 get an electrified powertrain? Speaking to Autocar, Mazda R&D boss Ichiro Hirose stated, “The lightweighting and compact size are essential elements of MX-5, so even if we apply electrification, we have to make sure it really helps to achieve the lightweighting of the vehicle.”

Mazda’s design chief Ikuo Maeda also added, “The preference of people who enjoy driving sports cars might be changing, so we need to think about what direction society is going. We want to look at the best powertrain to keep the vehicle lightweight, but because of the diversifying requirements and preference, we need to explore various options.”

Adding an electrified powertrain to the MX-5 will make it heavier than the current model, so we’ll have to see what Mazda’s engineers do to cut weight in other areas of the next MX-5 to keep its weight under control.