Paris show: Mazda confirms MX-5 show date

MAZDA has confirmed that its fourth-generation MX-5 will go on display at the 2014 Paris motor show where the Japanese company is expected to spell out the powertrain options for the little roadster.

The slick new Kodo styling has already been seen in public events held simultaneously in Monterey (California), Tokyo and Barcelona this month, but would-be buyers are still hanging out for word on the engine line-up and performance figures.

Mazda has only confirmed that more than one engine will be available, and that those engines will be members of the latest SkyActiv petrol engine generation.

Most pundits expect the MX-5 to offer a choice of 1.5-litre and 2.0-litre engines drawn from the new Mazda2 and Mazda3 respectively.

Both engines will be offered with new generation six-speed transmissions, in manual and automatic forms, and are believed to be more powerful than the standard engines offered in the small family cars.

Because the new MX-5 is about 100kg lighter than the current generation, it is also expected to be faster and more agile than the current car that has 118kW of power and weighs more than 1100kg.

The new model, which sits on an all-new SkyActiv platform to be shared with Fiat, will go on sale in Australia in the middle of 2015.

The Paris show opens to the media on October 2 and to the public on October 4.