The 2019 Mazda MX-5 Miata will indeed get more power and a host of new features when it shortly makes its debut, according to info leaked by a Canadian dealer and other insiders on an enthusiast forum.

The 181-horsepower MX-5 rumour we reported on last month turned out to be more than a rumour, Road & Track quotes the sources on the Miata.net boards.

The 26-horsepower bump is happening, courtesy better breathing through the intake and exhaust – larger ports, higher flow, and a new throttle body – and a lighter rotating assembly and high-lift camshaft. The “ND2”-generation car will also spin faster, with a new redline.

Inside, the 2019 MX-5 loses its CD player but gains a telescoping steering wheel and Smart City Braking System, plus a rearview camera, reports R&T. A brown canvas top is coming to Canada – though not necessarily the States – as are three leather interior shades in the RF GT.

The Canadian dealer on the forum also leaked that we’ll be losing our base-spec GX trim in favour of the better-equipped GS sitting now on the bottom rung. There’s also a GS-P to come standard with BBS wheels and Brembo brakes, and the old top-line GT.

Word is production of the 2018s has already ceased as Mazda retools for the 2019, so you can expect to see official numbers and pricing from Mazda soon, as well as the cars in your dealership.