Next Mazda MX-5 Miata Secrets Uncovered

For the past couple of years, we've been sharing everything we've uncovered about the next-generation Mazda MX-5 Miata. We've told you that in 2013, Mazda plans to return to the car's original 1989 roots by making it lighter, more fuel-efficient, and cleaner. We've also shown you a couple of artist's impressions of the new model.

Now, we have definitive information about the MX-5's new styling direction from a rock-solid source. A senior editor at Japan's Holiday Auto magazine tells us that if you know where to look, you can find just about anything on the Internet these days. Even official manufacturer drawings of future models! That's exactly what we have here.

Based on a technical drawing supplied by Mazda to the Tokyo Patent Office recently, our artist has composed a sketch you see here of what to expect in the aesthetics department from the new roadster. And it's surprisingly simple.

The new MX-5's grille will take on a more basic oval shape along the lines of the first-generation car, a departure from the current model's large "smiley face" grille. The headlights have been given a distinct up-slanting teardrop shape. From what we see in this exclusive sketch, the proportions are almost identical to the 1989 car (which was launched in the U.S. as a 1990 model year car).

The first-generation NA model, which measured in at roughly 156 by 66 by 49 inches and boasted a 116-hp, 1.6-liter engine, was upgraded in 1998 (it appeared in the U.S. as a 1999 model year car) with a bigger 140-hp, 1.8-liter powerplant. Pressure for more power from overseas markets (especially the U.S.) forced Mazda to fit a 160-hp, 2.0-liter 4-cylinder unit in 2005, something chief engineer Takao Kijima reportedly did not want to do.

Kijima's long-term goal to take the MX-5 back to basics rubbed off on his successor, next-generation MX-5 chief engineer Nobuhiro Yamamoto, who says his aim was to create a sub-2200-pound roadster. When planning for the new model started five years ago, around the same time as Mazda's revolutionary Skyactiv technology, the company's mission was to reduce fuel consumption by 30 percent and curb weight by at least 8 percent. The product planners told Yamamoto that he had to lighten and downsize the car, but maintain current interior space levels. After exhaustive restyling, an insider tells us Yamamoto achieved a curb weight of around 2100 pounds, thanks to the car's new lightweight construction made possible in large part through the use of Mazda's new weight-efficient Skyactiv chassis, powertrain, and body.

And with a lighter car, "you can downsize the powertrain," says a source close to Mazda. The new Mazda MX-5 Miata will be fitted with a 1.5-liter Skyactiv-G engine generating around 125 hp with mileage north of 50 mpg in Japanese measurements, mated to a six-speed manual transmission. Meanwhile, the U.S.-spec model will continue to employ a 2.0-liter engine producing upwards of 145 hp.

Slated for a March 2013 debut at the Geneva Motor Show, the new production model is expected to land in showrooms in the fall of 2013.

2014 Acura RSX Sedan Based on 2012 Civic Coming

The 2012 Honda Civic is now out, but there’s more to this story than just being able to drive a Honda. The previous rumors that indicated a new compact luxury sedan coming from Acura, seem to be true, with multiple Internet sources indicating that the latter carmaker is developing a RSX sedan model based on the new Civic.

It seems that the Acura RSX will come with multiple changes, so we won’t just get a rebadging job. The car is even expected to grow in size, in order to raise up to Acura’s luxury standard.

The new RSX is expected to come as a 2014 model year car, with the arrival of the new model potentially causing the TSX to be dropped, as the cars being offered together would bring too many front-wheel-drive models in Acura's range.

Honda Civic 2012 Prototype Looks Like Mercedes Benz C200

Once the 2012 Mercedes C-Class coupe shows up at the end of summer, the full range will include the aforementioned 201-hp turbocharged C250, the 302-hp C350 V6, the 228-hp C300 4Matic with the current-gen V6. Naturally, there will also be the 451-hp naturally aspirated C63 AMG coupe that will be available with a 480-hp Performance Pack and what looks to be a 4.3-second scorch to 60 mph. We'll have more on the latter in a separate First Drive soon.

A decade ago, Honda's lineup included the likes of the S2000, Civic Si, Acura NSX and Integra/RSX -- and the Prelude had only just been discontinued, with 2001 being its last year. These days, the options are substantially more limited. There's the oddball CR-Z and the only member of the above list to make it out of the aughts, the Civic Si. Somewhat of a constant in Honda's lineup for some two decades, the continued presence of the Si has served as a beacon of hope for enthusiasts even as the rest of its sporty brethren died off one by one over the past decade, each leaving no heirs. But the Si, like the rest of the Civic lineup, has just undergone a fairly significant transformation, bringing its hope-bringer status into question.

But anyone saw the latest honda civic 2012 prototype? Seems like the new mercedes benz c200 from the back. See the images above, what do you think guys?