News Source: topspeed.com

With a history that began in 1989, the Mazda MX-5  is one of the best-sold convertibles on the market. In its 21 years of history, the MX-5 saw three different generations, numerous design updates, and even more engine changes. However, the most impressive update has been announced for the fourth generation that is set to debut on September 3rd, 2014.

The Mazda MX-5 will remain a rear-wheel drive compact sports coupe with exterior design inspired by the Shinari Concept  unveiled earlier this year. With the new generation, Mazda will focus on reducing the total weight to less than 1,000 kilos.

At the launch of the Shinari concept, Ikuo Maeda, general manager of Mazda Motor Corp.’s design division said: "this design will lead to the next generation of Mazda  design and will lead to other elements." Guess the MX-5 will be among the first to adopt Mazda’s new "Kodo - Soul of Motion" design language.

Updated 08/11/2014: Mazda unveiled the first teaser image of the next MX-5 Miata before the car’s official debut on September 3. According to the first details offered by Mazda, the next MX-5 will "look nothing like" the current generation and will adopt an evolution of the current Kodo design language.

UPDATE 05/03/2013: Rumors have emerged that an unexpected engine will join the MX-5 lineup. See more after the jump.

Update 4/17/2014: The 2016 MX-5’s chassis and engine debuted at the 2014 New York International Auto Show, and its lightweight construction will help drop 220 pounds from the MX-5’s weight. See more after the jump.

Updated 07/03/2014: Mazda officially announced today that the all-new, fourth-generation MX-5 will be unveiled on September 3rd and 4th, 2014 in Barcelona, Japan and the U.S. "It has been grabbing people’s attention for 25 years, and with the new-generation model we’re aiming to share this passion with yet another generation of drivers," says Mazda Motor Europe President and CEO Jeff Guyton. Another European showing of the new MX-5 will occur on September 6th in Barcelona.

Updated 07/07/2014: We created a rendering for the future MX-5 Miata. We hope you’ll like it.

In creating this rendering, we used a small touch of Mazda’s Kodo design language, while avoiding giving it the full Kodo treatment. There is no way that Mazda will stray completely from the basic look of the MX-5, and we felt that this was a nice balance of new and old. Taken from the newest Mazda language are the squinty and angular headlights, the slightly protruding nose with the signature grille. The rest of the body takes lots of cues from the current-generation MX-5.

The body of the next generation MX-5 will be made in steel, but it will feature high-strength panels, and some ingenious structural solutions, such as a twin-backbone frame, to solve the problem of open-top rigidity.

One of the most unmistakable characteristics attributed to the previous generation of the MX-5 Miata is the large grille that it look like it was on a perpetual caffeine fix. The fourth generation MX-5 did away with that in favor of a more basic grille that’s similar to what we saw on the original Miata.

The headlights of the MX-5 was also given a make-over where it now carries a distinct up-slanting teardrop shape with LED lighting technology. Upon closer inspection, you’ll notice that the new lighting configuration is also pretty similar to the original’s set-up. Meanwhile, the interior will get sports seats and different aluminum insertions.

An unnamed source reports that the MX-5 will hit showrooms in 2015 with a lighter body and chassis, and a sportier look than the current model. The estimated weight the source gave was 1,000 kg (2,204 lbs), which is 276 lbs less than the 2012 model. In a car as small as the Miata, that is significant weight loss, to say the least.

There is also talk that Mazda will offer its roadster up with many more options that will help give the car more of a personality. This will help form a stronger bond between the person and the car. Typically, Miata owners already have this bond with their car, but a little extra something can’t hurt.

Lastly, there will be a top-end model, similar to the Mazdaspeed version in 2004 and 2005, that will be even lighter yet and more tuned for racing, as it will be stripped of unnecessary add-on features to save every ounce.

There was one bit of info on the project altogether and it is that Mazda will only provide the platform (chassis, uni-body, and drivetrain); Alfa Romeo will add on its own body and interior. So scratch the evil idea that we’ll have two almost identical cars.