Miata to Get New Retractable Hardtop?

Mazda Motor Corp. plans to launch a new model later this month at the New York auto show that some media reports speculate will be a variant of its MX-5 Miata with a lightweight, power-retractable hardtop.

For its part, Mazda boasts it will “blow the lid off” with a world premiere in New York.

The carmaker has offered hardtop versions of the Miata in the past. But when the company rolled out the fourth-generation roadster last summer, the car was available only with a soft top.

The new hardtop will be lighter and more compact than previous units, Autocar says. The British enthusiast magazine, which doesn’t cite its sources, says the new hardtop variant also will be more upscale than the base model. The new model is expected to offer the Miata’s current powertrain options: a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine mated with either a 6-speed manual or 6-speed automatic transmission.