The automotive world marvelled, and fans of affordable roadsters were thrilled: On the 9th of February, 35 years ago, the Mazda MX-5 made its debut at the Chicago Auto Show.
Built like a classic rear-wheel-drive sports car, but with a groundbreaking front-mid-engine layout for optimum longitudinal weight distribution, the Japanese roadster revived a then almost extinct car segment. The compact and lightweight Mazda MX-5 redefined the joy of open-top driving. Mazda engineers achieved this by adhering to the traditional Japanese philosophy of Jinba-Ittai, which views the horse and rider as one unit. Applied to the Mazda MX-5, the driver and the roadster form a close bond, providing balance, agility, and lightness. The MX-5 has earned numerous awards and prizes over the years, which continue to prove its excellence.
The world cannot get enough of the Mazda MX-5: Pure driving pleasure and an iconic design, the Mazda MX-5 has seen continuous development across four generations (“NA”, “NB”, “NC”, and now, “ND”). The current iteration of the Mazda MX-5 continues to provide joy for enthusiasts of open-air driving since 2016 with the RF version featuring an exciting fastback design and an electrically powered, folding ‘hard-top’ roof system, alongside the soft-top roadster model. Total production of the Mazda MX-5 at the Ujina plant in Hiroshima has just reached a record 1,256,745 units. 533,301 (over 40 percent) of the total production of the MX-5 has been sold in North America under the Mazda Miata nameplate, followed by Europe, where 391,503 Mazda MX-5s have been sold. In the Japanese home market, 225,510 units of the sports car were registered, under the iconic model name Mazda Roadster (first known as the Eunos Roadster).
Today, on its 35th birthday, the Mazda MX-5 has seen updates to the front and rear lights, new infotainment for enhanced connectivity, and an even more concentrated Jinba-Ittai driving experience. The new ‘Track Mode’ enhances the feeling of driver engagement in the legendary sports car and works in combination with the software-based Kinematic Posture Control System (KPC), which provides additional driving stability in corners. An asymmetric limited slip differential now comes as standard on the 135 kW/184 PS, 2.0-litre Skyactiv-G 2024 Mazda MX-5 (WLTP fuel consumption 6.8 l/100 km, WLTP CO₂ emissions: 153 g/km). The engine line-up also includes a 97 kW/132 PS, 1.5-litre Skyactiv-G which has WLTP fuel consumption of 6.3 l/100 km and WLTP CO₂ emissions of 142 g/km.
The 2024 Mazda MX-5 is available as a roadster with a classic soft top or as an RF, with a fixed folding roof and guarantees driving pleasure, as this lightweight legend can navigate the bends with agility, comfort, and safety.
