Mazda reaches MX-5 milestone (UK)

Mazda has reached a new landmark, with the sale of its 100,000th MX-5. British motorists have accounted for 10% of global sales and 40% of European sales since the MX-5 was launched in 1990.

It first launched at the 1989 Chicago motor show and arrived in the UK in March 1990, racking up 2,246 sales by the end of its first year. Annual sales hit a record high in 2007 with 9,234 units sold.

The MX-5 got into the Guinness Book of World Records in 2000 as the best-selling two-seater sports car in history with over 880,000 units sold worldwide.

Mark Cameron, sales director Mazda UK, said: “The legendary Mazda MX-5 is the car most people associate with Mazda. It is a car that people not only aspire to, but can afford to run and enjoy driving on a daily basis. This iconic sportscar’s handling has been voted as the best by motoring magazines. It is a fun car that makes each journey an enjoyable experience – a car that encompasses Mazda’s soul.

“To hit 100,000 sales in the UK is a significant milestone for Mazda. We are the biggest market for this car due to our love of open-top two seat sportscars. 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.” The 100,000th MX-5 went to Dr Helen Jones from Cheshire.

The 2012 MX-5/Miata plans to make much greater use of its Nagare design language. Mazda has been rethinking its sports car strategy after worry that the current MX-5 has become too heavy to stay true to the original car’s ethos.

The 1990 MX-5/Miata had a target weight of 1,000kg during development, and Mazda has set itself the same goal for the new model.