Mazda ’s European boss, James Muir, has revealed that the automaker is working on a new city vehicle — which will debut at the 2008 Paris Motor Show — and is considering an SUV based on the MX-5′s architecture.
Muir said that an SUV based on the MX-5 makes sense since the trend in the industry is to smaller, lighter SUVs. The MX-5′s platform would also mean the SUV would have a rear-wheel drive bias. “I do see SUVs getting smaller and being more car-like in their behavior,” Muir told Just-Auto.com. “Maybe we can look at rear-wheel-drive platform sharing and we have a rear-wheel drive platform with the MX-5. That’s an opportunity for us to look at how we might develop a lighter-weight product.”
Muir also indicated that diesel powertrains could be a possibility. “We have done a lot of work on the technology side with high tensile steel, which is much more lightweight. We are also looking at lighter weight power trains and there is a lot of scope there particularly with diesel powertrains to see how we can create lighter engine blocks using different alloys and metals.”
Muir didn’t have much to say about the upcoming city car, but did say: “I’m interested in vehicles that deal with the restrictions that have been placed on urban drivers, parking, parking footprints and taxation on CO2 emissions. I can’t tell you what it is but we are taking a project that I have initiated to the motor show in Paris next year. That will be our response to this trend.”
