The instant torque of an electro motor even at low rpm makes that a thing of the past.

And yes… for a true race car less would be better but this is a consumer vehicle and here the feeling of speed is enough and thats is more created by an instantaneous reaction than actual powe or speed

Long story short an electric Miata would be fun…

EVs have something build in any sports car needs low cog.

Weight might look important but with the torque available it simply doesn’t matter.

Plus the car needs to feel sporty but will never be used for actual racing so a bit of more weight does not matter at all for the intended user