Mazda’s Next Big Affordable Sports Car May Take a Move from the Supercar Playbook

The next-gen Miata could sport… butterfly doors?

Glossy red rear of a Mazda car with illuminated "MAZDA" lettering and a circular taillight on the left.

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Published 3 hours ago

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With the current Mazda Miata showing its age, sports car enthusiasts are on the edge of their seats, wondering what’s next. As part of the latest rumor, fresh patent filings suggest Mazda could implement a radical change to the new model.

It has nothing to do with the Miata potentially going electric or hybrid. Rather, it involves a potential major design change to how occupants access the car.

A potentially flipping first

Red Mazda sports car with butterfly doors open on a white circular platform. — Mazda’s next big sports car could feature flip-up scissor- or butterfly-style doors.

According to the patent, the Hiroshima-based automaker may be introducing butterfly doors to its iconic sports car. Some sections in the lengthy application essentially describe a new, rear-wheel-drive sports car with a front-engine layout.

But more importantly, the description involved the purported use of doors that flip up when opened, “like a scissor door or a butterfly door.”

Then, the outer hinge pillar, which is arranged to be inclined downward to the front, pivotally supports the swing door as a flip-up side door, in which a door rear portion is displaced outward and upward like a scissor door or a butterfly door when the door is opened, via the upper and lower door hinges.
USPTO Patent Filing – 20260184373

Orange Lamborghini sports car with scissor doors open, parked on a road with grass and trees in the background. — Some notable examples of scissor-door cars include the Lamborghini Murcielago and its predecessors, the Diablo and Countach, which open directly up.

These kinds of doors are typically found on high-dollar, exclusive supercars. However, the two mentioned are actually quite different in their design and execution.

Scissor-style car doors are essentially doors that open directly up, like to the ones largely used by Lamborghini. Specifically, on models like the Murcielago, Diablo and Countach.

Orange Lamborghini sports car with scissor doors open, black wheels, and illuminated rear lights in a dark setting. — The Aventador’s doors are more butterfly-style with the unique way they hinge and open upward and out at an angle.

Butterfly-style car doors open in a similar fashion. But rather, they’re hinged on the car’s A-pillars, or the forward most pillars flanking the vehicle’s front windshield. Examples of butterfly doors include the current Lamborghini Revuelto, various McLarens and the Aston Martin Valkyrie.

Importantly, the patent filing didn’t specify if said sports car with butterfly doors would be a convertible or a coupe.

It could be the new Miata, or something else

Red Mazda sports car with butterfly doors open, viewed from above on a light background. — Mazda attempted to convince investors to build a sports car with flip-up doors with the Iconic SP Concept in 2023.

Some rumors point to the Miata as the model mentioned in the patent. That’s because the Miata is currently Mazda’s only dedicated sports car.

Additionally, a new model is in the works and because the automaker is still in its R&D stages, anything is possible. However, the patent could also suggest Mazda may be working on another attempt at a rotary-powered RX.

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Rumors have been floating around for years regarding Mazda’s desire to once again produce a Wankel-powered sports coupe. Of course, many of those rumors ended up falling flat.

Mazda also disappointed fans with the debut of several sports coupe concepts. Only to leave them to gather dust and be completely forgotten.

Additionally, the Miata is all about being lightweight. Adding butterfly doors not only complicates the roadster’s otherwise normal swinging doors but also adds mass, which clashes with the Miata’s ethos.

While patents don’t serve as a hard confirmation, they still represent Mazda’s ongoing efforts to build a new halo car. There are also already plenty of rumors surrounding the next-gen Miata, including the potential for a gas-electric hybrid powertrain.

About the Author: Chris Chin is an associate editor at Gear Patrol, covering cars, trucks and anything else with four wheels. He has over a decade of experience writing news and reviews but considers himself an enthusiast first, with a passion for classics and European cars. His daily driver is a 1987 Mercedes-Benz 560SEL with nearly 250,000 miles (87,000 are his).

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