TOKYO: Mazda has started production of the first all-new Mazda MX-5 in Japan, and a customer in the local Japanese market will be the lucky first owner.
Painted in the now-traditional red, the 2015 MX-5 has emerged from Mazda’s Ujina ‘Plant No.1’ as the first model in a production run destined for Japanese showrooms by June.
In the months following, MX-5s will begin to appear in European showrooms before eventually making their way to Australia by the end of the year.
While MX-5s in Japan will be powered by a 1.5 litre four-cylinder petrol engine producing 96kW, both the European and Australian markets will also have the option of a 2.0 litre unit making 118kW.
Performance will be helped by the new MX-5’s reduced kerb weight, which is rumoured to be around 1020kg (and lighter than its predecessor).
Mazda says the new model has the lowest centre of gravity of the four generations of MX-5.
Interior features include Mazda’s MZD Connect smartphone connectivity system, while the safety check list includes a range of i-ACTIVSENSE active and pre-crash technologies.
Demand for the 2015 Mazda MX-5 will likely see the model pass the one million mark for production, with over 950,000 units built to date since the model’s debut in 1989.
