Mazda has confirmed it will be launching a new model in New York this month, stating on its show invite a “world premiere” that will “blow the lid off".

Although the car maker refrains from giving any more information, Autocar expects this new model to be a hard-top version of the current MX-5, called the MX-5 Roadster Coupé.

Read more: Mazda MX-5 RF revealed in New York

The Mk4 MX-5 has been with us in soft-top guise for about a year, so it makes sense for the hard-top alternative to arrive now. If it is indeed this car, we already have a pretty good idea of what it’ll be like thanks to information given to us by Mazda late last year.

In a conversation about its latest sports car, Mazda told Autocar that the second-generation hard-top MX-5 would feature a lighter and more compact folding roof mechanism than the previous model.

A Roadster Coupé would be slightly heavier than the 1050kg soft-top, and its starting price is likely to be around £2000 more than the £18,495 of the regular car. Despite this, it’s still expected to be the best-selling UK model.

The hard-top version of the Mk3 MX-5 accounted for 80% of sales in the UK, presumably due to Brits preferring the additional insulation and increased flexibility of an electronic folding metal roof over a manually-operated fabric one.

Of course, we can’t be certain which model Mazda will reveal until the covers are pulled off in New York. Check back on autocar.co.uk on the 23 March to see if our predictions are right.