The Motor Report Auto News Blog

It looks like Mazda may have reason not be pleased with the transparency of the European Union’s trademark authority, OHIM. Barely five days ago, computer-generated images of the updated Mazda3 surfaced on the Internet that were later found to have come from Mazda’s own trademark application to the regulatory body. They were simple un-textured 3D models, but the fact that the overall design of Mazda’s new hatchback was no longer secret must surely have stung the manufacturer.

Now, thanks to some dedicated cyber-sleuths, Mazda’s got something else to worry about: a bunch of OHIM-supplied renderings of the 2009 Mazda MX5 have surfaced, featuring a fresh front-end redesign to extend the life of the NC MX5 up until 2012, when an all-new replacement is expected. Somebody call the RSPCA: the cat’s well and truly out of the bag now.

Like the 2009 Mazda3, the OHIM-sourced CGI renderings show the shape of the body and nothing more. In the case of the MX5, the external revisions are limited to the panelwork ahead of the A-pillars only, with the rest of the sheetmetal carrying over from the 2008 car.

Gone is the goldfish-like yawn of the current NC, replaced by a more upturned ’smiley’ aperture that mimics the front grille of the ‘09 Mazda3 and RX-8 GT. The foglight housings have also been re-profiled, with a Mazda6-esque bevel surrounding the lens.

Headlights for the 2009 model are sharper than the jellybean-shaped units of the current MX5, and we can expect some Nagare-inspired jewellery behind those lenses too. Other than that, there’s not much else to note. It should look a lot more aggressive from the front, which should go some way towards rectifying the MX5’s somewhat effeminate image, however a rear-end facelift (butt-lift?) wouldn’t have gone astray either.

[AutoWeek.nl]