World Premiere of 2016 Mazda MX-5 Roadster Handled in Glitzy Fashion

Whether referring to it as the MX-5, Miata or the MX-5 Miata, Mazda has resonated a lasting pulse in the sports car marketplace for a quarter of a century. The small two-seat roadster that debuted in 1989 as one of the hottest products thanks to its sporty appearance and relative bargain pricing. Marking 25 years of the sport car in 2014, the past of the little but fast vehicle was addressed as the future of the Mazda MX-5 was being sorted behind closed doors at the Japanese auto company. Prepping for the all-new 2016 MX-5 would be unveiled to the public September 4^th 2014. Last night, eager onlookers set eyes on what could be considered the most striking version of the roadster since the original in 1989.

 It’s little doubt Mazda wanted to rock-in the arrival of their new roadster. Director of Design for Mazda North America Derek Jenkins was joined by pop music group Duran Duran in christening the 2016 model year roadster. Refreshingly, Derek Jenkins’ speech serving as a prelude to the MX-5’s introduction was concise, lasting no more than a few minutes. With an audience in Monterey, California and roughly 30,000 viewers live streaming the event on YouTube, the 2016 Mazda MX-6 rolled into sight. Though the recognized talent of Duran Duran performing the James Bond theme “A View to a Kill” and the group‘s 1980s mega-hit “Hungry Like a Wolf” got the audience roaring, the 2016 Mazda MX-5 remained dazzling in its official coming-out event.

 

Pacifying many, the new MX-5 will remain a two-seat drop-top. Influenced through Mazda’s KODO design language, the body panels are athletically sculpted with a lower nose profile and pronounced wheel arches standing out. Treated with a black colour appearance, the outer mirror housings and the windshield frame imposes a racier look as well as draws dedicated attention around the cockpit. Press photos of the 2016 Mazda MX-5 have shown the vehicle with a fabric roof. Since 2006, the Mazda MX-5 Miata had been offered with a retractable hardtop generating a polarizing reaction to audiences of the vehicle.

Being a roadster, the interior of the new Mazda MX-5 was also presented in great view upon its debut. There is no mistaking the car’s desire to provoke thoughts of sports car performance and agility. The steering wheel is thick but small in overall diameter providing the driver with sharp responsiveness. Dominated in black, aluminum or metallic-like trim is used in a fashion on the steering wheel spokes as well as around the shifter and circular vents of the MX-5‘s interior. Another contrast to the dark interior appearance is the body-colour matching trim on the upper door panels of the 2016 roadster. 
 

While there was little that we publicly knew about the appearance of the 2016 model year roadster before Wednesday’s night unveiling, prior details enlightened us of the new Mazda MX-5’s base. An agreement cemented with Fiat’s brand Alfa Romeo has pledged the co-development of common structural architecture of a rear-wheel drive sports car.

A safe assumption for the future MX-5 would be the incorporation of Mazda’s technology philosophy SKYACTIV. SKYACTIV Technology involving the use of highly efficient powertrain mechanics and weight optimization has indeed been exercised on the new MX-5 roadster. Mazda boasts that the 2016 model year MX-5 is more than 100 kilograms (over 220 pounds) lighter than its predecessor. This would result in the 2016 Mazda MX-5’s estimated overall weight running around 1,000 kilograms or about 2,200 pounds. Mazda has not yet confirmed details of the powertrain for the 2016 model year vehicle.
 

Reaching 25 years of production, there is more than 940,000 examples of the Mazda MX-5 on the globe. The 2016 MX-5 roadster is a profound next chapter expected to go on sale next year.


Information and photo source: Mazda North American Operations