Mazda MX-5 Miata Named Car of the Year!

Mazda Motor Corporation has announced that the all-new Mazda MX-5 Miata Roadster has been named 2015-2016 Car of the Year by the Japan Automotive Hall of Fame (JAHFA). An award ceremony was held recently at Mazda’s Tokyo office. Roadster is the third Mazda to win the award following the Mazda RX-8 which took the honor in 2003.

JAHFA’s judges praised the all-new Mazda MX-5 Miata Roadster for its sophisticated open-top sports car design and advanced SKYACTIV™® TECHNOLOGY. They also noted the outstanding driving performance and fuel efficiency the model exhibits thanks to its lightweight yet highly rigid body.

The all-new Mazda MX-5 Miata Roadster is the sixth model in Mazda’s new-generation lineup of vehicles featuring the full range of SKYACTIV™® TECHNOLOGY and KODO-Soul of Motion design. This lightweight open-top two-seater front-engine rear-wheel drive sports car is designed to provide pure Jinba-ittai driving fun. In redesigning the model Mazda concentrated on stimulating the senses and sensations through which people enjoy cars at a deeper level than ever before.

Also, in redesigning the Mazda MX-5 Miata, Mazda aimed to further deepen the experience of driving fun and managed to both perfect the driving position and reduce the weight of the car by over 100 kilograms. While ensuring that the Mazda MX-5 Miata would remain a true driver’s car, Mazda engineers were determined to make the vehicle practical enough for daily use, adopting a weatherproof, easy-to-open-and-close top and ensuring enough space in the luggage compartment for two carry-on-sized bags.

All passenger vehicles with an expected annual sales volume of over 500 units, announced or launched in Japan between October 1, 2014 and October 31, 2015 are eligible for this year’s Car of the Year Japan award. The Mazda MX-5 Miata Roadster follows the Mazda Mazda2 last year to become the sixth Mazda vehicle to take the Car of the Year award Japan.

“Our Roadster represents everything we stand for in terms of our car-making philosophy, so we are delighted to have that recognized,” said Masamichi Kogai, President and CEO of Mazda. “Mazda will continue to build cars that brighten people’s lives. We aim to become a “one-and-only” brand for our customers, a brand they

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