MAZDA MX-5 MIATA 25TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION

• 25^th Anniversary Mazda MX-5 Roadster Coupe celebrates the iconic roadster’s initial launch
• Newly developed SKYACTIV-Chassis revealed for next generation all-new Mazda MX-5
• Total production of world’s best-selling roadster passes the 940,000 landmark

Mazda Motor Corporation will unveil the new Mazda MX-5 Miata (Japanese name: Mazda Roadster) 25th Anniversary Edition sportscar today at the New York International Auto Show. The special edition model was created to celebrate 25 years since the launch of Mazda’s iconic roadster, the Mazda MX-5, at the Chicago Auto Show in the USA. Also today, the automaker will reveal a newly-developed SKYACTIV-Chassis that will form the basis of the next generation all-new Mazda MX-5.

Over more than two decades, the MX-5 has come to symbolise Mazda’s car-making philosophy and the Japanese brand’s tireless pursuit of driving pleasure. Since its launch in 1989, the Mazda MX-5 has consistently offered the kind of fun that only a lightweight sportscar can deliver, and has won a huge variety of fans from different countries, cultures and age groups. More than 940,000 units have been produced so far (to end March 2014) and the model continues to hold the Guinness World Record for the best-selling two-seater sportscar.

The Mazda MX-5 Miata 25th Anniversary Edition is a special edition model that brings together 25 years’ worth of fun shared with fans. Based on the 2.0-litre 160ps Roadster Coupe model with power retractable hard top and either a 6-speed manual or automatic transmission, it is available exclusively in Soul Red Metallic.

Meticulous attention to detail has been paid in every area of the vehicle such as the Brilliant Black-painted roof, A-pillars, and door mirror housings; the off-white leather seat upholstery and door trim, hand-finished dashboard decorative panel in Piano Black and the fitting of Bilstein dampers plus 17-inch Dark Gunmetal alloy wheels.

In New York, Mazda will also reveal the newly developed SKYACTIV-Chassis that will be used for the upcoming next-generation, all-new Mazda MX-5. The engine and chassis are exhibited together, and it will be the first time that SKYACTIV technology has been displayed in a front-midship-engine layout and rear-wheel-drive configuration.

While the next Mazda MX-5 will feature the most compact configuration of any generation of the MX-5, the engine will be located closer to the vehicle’s centre and the vehicle’s centre of gravity will be lower than in any previous Mazda MX-5. The upcoming model has been engineered and developed to achieve outstanding body rigidity and crashworthiness, while also reducing the overall weight by more than 100kg.

Mazda’s Chairman of the Board, Takashi Yamanouchi said, “The original concept behind the MX-5 was so simple; to offer the pure joy of a lightweight sportscar that moves precisely as the driver intends. While responding to increasing safety and environmental requirements, over the 25 years since its launch we have had to continually reinvent the MX-5 – far beyond simple evolution – in order to stay true to that original ideal. The history of the MX-5 is one of changing everything in order to stay the same. A history of innovating in order to preserve the ideal.”

MAZDA PREVIEWS FUTURE OF MX-5 MIATA WITH ALL-NEW SKYACTIV-CHASSIS

– Next-Generation Roadster Returns to Fundamentals of Fun with Lighter, Stronger Body –

NEW YORK (April 16, 2014) – With weeks, perhaps months, of bated-breath anticipation, anxiety and hope hanging in the proverbial car enthusiast air, Mazda today confirmed development details of the highly-anticipated next-generation MX-5 Miata roadster. Making its world debut during a press conference at the New York International Auto Show (NYIAS), the vehicle’s all-new SKYACTIV®1-CHASSIS bared its sports car soul and affirmed that the future model would be lighter, stronger and with a physical footprint more in tune with its first-generation predecessor than with its heavier, larger current-day cousin.

“This SKYACTIV-CHASSIS expresses a deep-dive chronicle – complete with beginning, middle and conclusion – of the passion, challenges and triumphs being poured into the next-generation MX-5 Miata,” said Robert Davis, senior vice president, U.S. Operations, Mazda North American Operations (MNAO). “The dedication of the R&D and Design teams to honor the vehicle’s dynamic heritage and globally-recognizable features is evident from the chassis’ structural blueprint, and will undoubtedly translate into what we believe will be a remarkable production car.”

With the fourth-generation MX-5, the soul of the sports car is not only revisited but reinvented. With no richly layered, character line-laden sheet metal to hide beneath, the SKYACTIV-CHASSIS lays out a narrative of MX-5’s continuing story with a perfectly arranged table of contents. This chassis is the first time SKYACTIV TECHNOLOGY has ever been shown in a front mid-ship engine rear-wheel-drive design. Also, its compact configuration showcases an engine closer to the vehicle’s center, a center of gravity which itself is lower than that of any previous generation. And not only lower but decidedly leaner with a weight reduction goal of more than 220 lbs (100 kg), all with the goal of continuing to achieve the highest standards of body rigidity and collision safety performance.

This unwavering determination to keep the MX-5 faithful to its roots of being compact, light and fun-to-drive also is a further evolution of the brand’s Jinba Ittai signature – the oneness between a car and its driver. An early example is that of engineers painstakingly researching the optimum driver position for behind-the-wheel excitement and comfort as further proof that a driving experience intertwined with a history of courage, creativity and conviction is the Mazda way.

More information on the next-generation MX-5 Miata will be announced at a later date closer to the vehicle’s launch.

 

MAZDA PRODUCES ONE MILLION SKYACTIV VEHICLES

– Two years and four months since production of Mazda CX-5 began –

HIROSHIMA, Japan—Mazda Motor Corporation has announced that global production of its three full-SKYACTIV vehicles, the Mazda CX-5, Mazda6 (known as Atenza in Japan) and Mazda3 (Axela in Japan) has surpassed one million units, reaching 1,040,000 units as of the end of March 2014. All three models adopt the full range of Mazda’s SKYACTIV technologies. The milestone was achieved approximately two years and four months after production of the Mazda CX-5 began in November 2011.

Mazda developed SKYACTIV TECHNOLOGY with the aim of offering every customer outstanding environmental and safety performance, without sacrificing the brand’s renowned driving pleasure. The innovative range of technologies is the result of an uncompromising overhaul aimed at improving the efficiency of the base components that dictate the fundamental performance of the automobile, such as the engine and transmission, while reducing vehicle weight. The new generation vehicles that feature SKYACTIV TECHNOLOGY also adopt Mazda’s KODO—Soul of Motion design theme which aims to express the strength, beauty and tension found in the movements of untamed animals.

On reaching one million units, Mazda’s Representative Director, President and CEO, Masamichi Kogai said, “At Mazda we put everything into developing our SKYACTIV vehicles, and it is because these models have struck a chord with a wide range of customers all over the world that we have reached the one million-unit landmark. On behalf of Mazda, let me express my gratitude to each and every person who bought one of our cars. With our undying challenging spirit and a great deal of hard work, Mazda will continue to make even more appealing cars that will enrich the lives of their owners, and help us build a strong and lasting bond with our customers.”

As of the end of March 2014, Mazda is producing its three full-SKYACTIV models in Japan, Mexico, Thailand and China, and selling them in over 100 different countries and regions. The automaker is continuing efforts to expand the lineup and plans to introduce another five all-new models with SKYACTIV TECHNOLOGY by fiscal year ending March 2016.