Mazda MX-5

Manufacturer     Mazda
Also called     Mazda MX-5 Miata
Mazda Miata

Eunos Roadster
Mazda Roadster
Production     1989–present
Assembly     Hiroshima, Japan
Pretoria, South Africa (Ford assembly)[1]
Class     Roadster/Sports Car
Layout     FR layout
Platform     Mazda N platform

MX-5, also known as Miata in North America and in Japan, Eunos Roadster, MX-5 is a lightweight two-seat roadster, front-engine layout, rear-wheel drive, which was built by Mazda in Hiroshima, Japan. This model was introduced in 1989 at the Chicago Auto Show. MX-5 was conceived as a small roadster - with light weight and minimal mechanical complexity limited only by legal requirements and safety requirements of modern technology, but a direct philosophical descendant of the small British roadsters of the 1960s such as the Triumph Spitfire, Austin-Healey Sprite, MG Midget and Lotus Elan.

The second-generation MX-5 (NB) was launched in 1998 and the model (NC) is now in production since 2006. It continues to be the best-selling convertible and in February 2011, 900 000 MX-5s have been built and sold around the world.

Since the launch of third generation MX-5, Mazda consolidated worldwide marketing using the MX-5 name, though enthusiasts in the United States still refer to it as Miata, a name that means "reward" in Old High German language.