There’s no denying the popularity of the Mazda MX-5 Miata. It’s so popular that a meeting of 459 Miata owners from all corners of the world at a meet in Essen, Germany doesn’t look impressive enough. Except that it is; impressive enough that it landed in the Guiness Book of World Records as the largest MX-5 meet in, like, ever.
Owners from 16 countries participated in the record-breaking meet, which was held at UNESCO’s Zollverein World Heritage site. What’s even more impressive is that the number of Miatas could have easily been more than 459 had the event organizers not turned down some of the applicants from participating.
All in all, the 459 Miatas eclipsed the previous record of 249 models that was previously set in New Zealand. Like we said, 459 isn’t that big a number considering the number of MX-5’s loitering around the streets of the world, but hey, a record’s a record, right?
That, in itself, is something all those attending owners should be very proud of.
Chalk up another achievement for Mazda and it’s iconic roadster, the MX-5.
Twenty years after the roadster landed in the UK, the MX-5, aka the Miata, hit the ever-prestigious 100,000 units sold. It has been widely regarded that the MX-5 is one of the most popular vehicles of all time and the roadster has been a hot seller in the UK since it first arrived in 1989, compromising of over 10% of the vehicle’s global sales figures.
The Miata’s popularity in the land of fish and chips reached its apex a few years ago in 2007 when the venerable roadster sold an unprecedented 9,234 units in the UK alone.
Mark Cameron, sales director of Mazda UK, made no bones about the appeal of the MX-5 to the British car-buying market. “We are the biggest market for this car due to our love of open-top two seat sportscars”, he said.
“The Mazda MX-5 finds its roots in the British heritage of soft top sportscars and has been loved by British motorists since the day it arrived on these shores.”
It’s quite an achievement to sell 100,000 models of the same car encompassing three generations in one country alone. So let’s toast a cup of tea to Mazda for the milestone achievement. At the rate it’s going, we won’t be surprised if the MX-5 continues to sell like pancakes across the pond.
We have some new details for you on the new next-generation Mazda MX-5. This will be the last car – except for the new 5 - to carry the Nagare design language and it should hit dealers around 2012.
The current MX-5 has gained a bit of weight since its creation in 1989, but Mazda is putting the sports car on a diet. The company’s engineers are worried that the MX-5 is getting a tad too fat, so they will focus on reducing the car’s weight for the next-generation model.
Mazda has set a target weight of 2,200 pounds for the next MX-5. That is roughly 300 pounds off of the current car’s weight. The car will also drop the 2.0-liter motor in favor of a 1.6-liter and an optional 1.8-liter.
The standard gearbox will be a six-speed manual, but buyers who don’t want to use this car to it’s full potential can get a dual-clutch semi-automatic. We aren’t sure if a hardtop version will be available, but there will most likely be one. We can’t wait.
Alfa Romeo isn’t the only automaker celebrating an anniversary of sorts at the Goodwood Festival of Speed and even if the other celebrant – that would be you, Mazda – lost out on the front lawn display, the Japanese automaker is nonetheless bringing a nice little surprise of their own.
In their uniquely worded attempt to “Relive your childhood motoring dreams”, Mazda will be bringing a life-sized Scalextric slot-car racing track to Goodwood. And the best part is, attendees of the festival will get the chance to test their driving skills on the track with a choice of some historic Mazdas. Among the cars that will be accessible on the track includes a number of versions of the MX-5/Miata, including some pretty rare models like the 1990 MX-5, the 1992 MX-5 California, and the 10th Anniversary model, the 2000 MX-5
Mazda UK managing director Jeremy Thomson has made it clear that Mazda, in the middle of their 90th anniversary, is planning on making their Goodwood participation as memorable and as exciting as possible. "Mazda will certainly stand out from the crowd with a life-sized Scalextric track to celebrate 20 years of the MX-5, which is still the world’s most popular roadster today," he said.
Press Release after the jump.
Full story
Mazda continues to celebrate the MX-5’s 20th Anniversary with the unveiling of a new special edition in the UK market. Called the MX-5 Miyako, this special edition will be limited to only 500 units and will go on sale in July at a price of £18,385 for the convertible model and £20,885 for the roadster coupe version.
The new MX-5 Miyako will be available in Aluminium Silver Metallic, while the soft-top will also be available in Velocity Red Mica. It will be distinguished by unique Medici premium perforated black leather trim with a red underlay and stitching, special badging, floor mats, and climate control air-conditioning. The exterior includes front fog lamps, larger 17-inch alloy wheels, a front suspension strut brace (for improved steering response), and free metallic paint.
The 1.8i 126Hp Miyako soft-top hits the 62mph mark in 9.9 seconds, while the 2.0i Miyako roadster coupe with its 160HP engine makes it just two seconds under that.
Press release after the jump.
Full story
