In the automotive world, the rumor mill is overworked and underpaid. It’s also often just plain wrong, so keep that in mind. Today’s grist is some wild speculation by Auto Express about what a smaller Miata companion car might look like. The “MX-2,” as the speculation goes, will bring the concept of the original Miata back from its current, bloated form. Of course, the central premise here is that the MX-5 is too big, and honestly, having been in a few of them, I have to say that the current car is about as small as its gonna get given the state of federal safety requirements. Nonetheless, the idea is intriguing if implausible, and the renderings look, to be honest, much better than the current MX-5. Maybe Mazda should hire the photochop artist?

The hypothetical MX-2 would be powered by a sub-1.6L engine, and would hit the streets by 2012, according to the unnamed insider source. Also, if that wild and baseless rumor weren’t enough, they’re throwing in a turbo version pushing out 160 HP as an option down the road! We are definitely not going to hold our breath for anything to come out of this.

[Source: Auto Express]