Tag Archives: roadsters

The Next Generation Mazda Miata Will Get A Hybrid Or EV: Report

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Illustration for article titled The Next Generation Mazda Miata Will Be A Hybrid Or EV: Report
Photo: Mazda

The Mazda Miata generations average about eight to 10 years, which means the current fourth-generation ND Miata, in production since 2015, is starting to get a little long in the tooth. It’s hard to imagine the Miata being anything other than a rear-wheel-drive gas roadster, but Mazda is reportedly in the midst of trying to electrify it.

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That’s according to Motor1, which obtained the following statement from Mazda this week:

Mazda is seeking to electrify the MX-5 Miata in an effort to have all models feature a form of electrification by 2030. We will work hard to make it a lightweight, affordable, open two-seater sports car in order to meet the needs of customers.

Motor1 deduces from this (or perhaps confirmed on background with Mazda) that this means that the next-generation Miata, the NE, will be electrified, and perhaps that is right but it also seems possible that Mazda might wait for the NF, since 2030 is a good long time from now. It’s also possible that Mazda means all “models” of the Miata will have some sort of electric drive, but it’s more likely that some kind of hybrid or electric version of the Miata will be an option.

Certainly a car company can make a light hybrid (the original Honda Insight was lighter than the current Miata by a decent amount) but it’s not easy, and it always presents trade-offs.

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I also don’t know what the point of electrifying the Miata is, other than Mazda going along with the prevailing sentiment or complying with government regulation, as the manual Miata gets 29 mpg combined. Getting 29 mpg is not stellar, but it isn’t bad either and also it’s not like Mazda sells a ton of these things.

Mazda sold 8,807 Miatas in the U.S. last year, or about three percent of its total car sales in the U.S., a number I wouldn’t expect to be too different globally. Still, the MX-5 is Mazda’s defining product, a car that can’t go away and probably never will. If I were Mazda, then, I’d be trying to figure out what an all-electric version of the Miata looks like, make it, and then show it to the world and explain that the Miata has been with us for over 30 years and this is the version that will be with us for the next 30. Mazda would probably sell at least 8,807 of them.

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The Huayra R Is A Sign Pagani’s Almost Ready To Move On

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Illustration for article titled The Huayra R Is A Sign Pagani's Almost Ready To Move On

Image: Pagani

I feel almost nothing looking at these pictures of the new Pagani Huayra R, the latest, most hardcore and supposedly one of the last versions of the Huayra that the Italian boutique supercar maker will build.

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Like other Huayras, this one has a 6.0-liter V12 from AMG. However, this particular iteration is naturally aspirated and develops 850 horsepower. The Huayra R weighs just 2,314 pounds and generates way more downforce than any previous Pagani. It costs 2.6 million euros before tax — nearly $3.1 million — and just 30 will be built. I’m sure their owners will love ’em.

In fairness to the Huayra R, my disinterest has nothing to do with the car itself. Track-focused hypercars that can’t legally run in any category of motorsport have never made a ton of sense to me, though they’re a cool show of unbridled performance, and the Huayra R earns points for its commitment to the naturally aspirated V12 and stylish exterior. I mean, you could put a picture of this and the Zonda R next to each other and depending on how recently I woke up or how much I’ve had to drink, I probably wouldn’t be able to tell them apart — but that’s another story.

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Image: Pagani

Rather, my feelings are an inevitable consequence of Pagani’s glacial release cycle. It makes a car, and then it sells special editions of that car for 10 years, and then it makes another one. It’s only done this twice, but because that’s transpired over the course of two decades, I often find myself wondering whether Pagani is still a thing or not.

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And look, Pagani doesn’t have to change its process for anybody. There’s something refreshing about the one car approach in this age of excess, and the understanding that once said car reaches its final form, like the Huayra R, it’s time to move on. So while I’m finding it hard to care about the Huayra R itself, I also sort of do because of what it represents. It’s a sign that the next Pagani is coming. As we’ve established, that’s a rare event in the course of world history.

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Image: Pagani

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What will the Huayra successor be, then? It’s codenamed C10, and it’s been a while since we’ve heard anything about it. Back in 2019, founder Horacio Pagani told Road & Track that both twin-turbo V12 and battery-electric versions would be sold, with the V12 optionally paired with either a manual or a paddle-shift transmission. At the time, Pagani said the car would arrive in 2021. You can imagine there’s at least a small chance that schedule might’ve slid in the past year.

Until that day comes, we have the Huayra R — a pretty neat track machine in its own right, but also a symbol that Pagani is right on the brink of another transformation.

America’s Big Wing Is Back In Stock

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2020 Chevy Corvette
2020 Chevy Corvette
Screenshot: Chevrolet.com

The launch of the midengine Chevrolet Corvette hit another small hiccup last summer, suspending sale of the very popular High Wing option after surging demand and COVID-19 pandemic complications kneecapped suppliers. The good news is that the wing is now back in stock, and you don’t need to install it at the dealership if you missed your chance on the order form.

All current owners of 2020 and 2021 model year C8-generation Chevrolet Corvette Stingray models again have the chance to add the High Wing aero appendage to their cars. It’s also available on new vehicle orders.

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Screenshot: Chevrolet.com

The wing adds more visual volume, and a number lines, to an already busy rear end. I feel it ultimately does a lot to accentuate and complement the design language Chevrolet is going for with this generation of Corvette. At least from most angles.

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Chevrolet’s website lists the High Wing accessory at an MSRP of $995, excluding any installation fees and taxes, and “may require purchase of additional equipment and/or services.” The factory wing is designed to use the C8’s existing mounting points. The checkout process showed free shipping to a local dealership in New York State when I faked the process of ordering one.

Apparently, the wing option is available only in Black, Shadow Gray, Torch Red and Arctic White at this time, matched to those Corvette body colors.

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Screenshot: Chevrolet.com

It’s unclear if the other standard colors — Ceramic Matrix Gray, Elkhart Lake Blue, Silver Flare or Zeus Bronze — will be made available on the wing later or on special request. One would imagine Chevrolet will find a way to satisfy customers who pay the $500 to $995 charge for the special Accelerate Yellow, Rapid Blue, Sebring Orange and Red Mist paint jobs on their cars and expect a paint-matched wing from the factory.

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Update, 3:20 p.m.: A Chevy spokesperson reached out Jalopnik to elaborate that a Carbon Flash wing option of the same design is available specifically through Chevrolet dealerships as a fifth option.

Of course, during that gap when Chevy wasn’t offering a factory accessory wing for one of the sportiest and most-hyped generations of America’s sports car plenty of aftermarket clones and alternatives made themselves available, so now C8 owners can shop around. ACS Composite notably had a nearly identical clone, in the same colors now available from Chevy as well as a unique carbon fiber option, for around $1,100. However, only two paint options appear to currently be in stock on the company’s website. C7 Carbon appears to be another popular OEM replica supplier for the wing at around $950.

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Customers who missed out during the six-or-so months without the wing option were offered a 25-percent discount on all Chevrolet accessories through the automaker’s website, as noted by CorvetteBlogger, which also reported on the wing option restock. That should bring the wing accessory’s MSRP down to $746.25 before anything else is factored in, if you already have a Corvette in the garage.