Retractable fastback to be top-selling MX-5

Mazda is predicting its MX-5 RF – aka retractable fastback – could eclipse the rag-top in terms of global popularity.

Due on sale later than expected in early 2017, with prices starting at around $40,000 for the base model and $45,000 for the GT, the RF will appeal to a wider range of customers, reckons Mazda.

That's because it has a more resolved, more upmarket design thanks to its twin rear buttresses that are always in place – top up or down – and can switch from hard-top coupe to open-top roadster at the touch of a button in just 10 seconds.

Speaking at the world's biggest MX-5 meet in Karuizawa, where the RF was revealed for the first time in Japan to rapturous applause, project leader of the current fourth-generation (ND) MX-5, Nobuhiro Yamamoto, said the RF would account for at least 50 per cent of all MX-5 sales, and potentially much more.

"The retractable hard-top was introduced in the [previous MX-5] NC, one year after the soft-top in 2006. Actually the powered hard-top got such popularity it came to account for 50 per cent of total sales of MX-5.

"I think in the case of the [previous] NC model MX-5 it was just a hard-top version but as you see with ND it's a fastback, it's got a beautiful shape, an evolution of the design.

"We believe because of the beautiful roof design we're hoping to capture more customers than the previous metal hard-top [the only version of the old MX-5 available in Australia in its final year]," he said.

Unlike the manually-operated cloth roof of the regular MX-5, which starts at around $32.000 in Australia, the RF's roof offers superior weather protection via its metal panels, although rearward vision is likely to be impacted, particularly with the top down.

The tiny fastback will be offered with six-speed manual and automatic transmissions and, in Australia, will be powered exclusively by a 2.0-litre petrol engine worth 118kW/200Nm.

Yasuhiro Aoyama, Mazda Motor Corporation's Executive Officer of Global Sales and Marketing, was at the car's Japanese debut in Karuizawa and said the new MX-5 RF will appeal to customers who like fun-to-drive cars but who don't want the top dropped as often.

"The RF is a more city-use oriented, for the adult-type customer, and we definitely believe it can grow sales," he stated. "We believe the RF will resonate with many new customers."

Because the metal roof parts and electric servos add weight, the RF will tip the scales at significantly more than the 1009kg cloth-roofed version – up to 100kg more -- so it won’t be as agile.

But this won't be a deal-breaker, says Mazda. In fact, the way the roof folds and swings out will be a drawcard.

Chief designer of the MX-5 RF, Masashi Nakayama, said his job was easy. The real stars of the RF are the spanner men and women.

"As designers it's not difficult -- we just make sure it looks beautiful. So the toughest work was done by the engineers. It was an enormously tough job for the roof."

He explained that the roof's twin tapered buttresses -- the bits that give it the tough fastback aesthetic -- were challenging to implement. Where the roof connects with car body there are lots of curves and he wanted "the perfect fit and finish".

"Under normal circumstances the engineers tell the designers to fix the design so they have straight lines and easy solutions!" laughed the designer.

"But we designers didn't want to compromise the beautiful design, so it was tricky."

What do you think of the final design? Did Mazda hit the nail on the head and will the Subaru BRZ and Toyota 86 have a new rival with this new $40K 'fastback' in early 2017? Have your say in the comments below.