All-New Mazda MX-5 debuts in Geneva

Sixteen years after Mazda first showed what was to become the best selling two-seat sportscar in history (the MX-5), it has taken the covers off an all-new, third-generation MX-5 at the 2005 Salon International de l'Auto in Geneva. Mazda has thoroughly reworked every aspect of the MX-5’s design, mechanical function, and dynamic response with a view to infusing more fun and driving satisfaction. The new MX-5 is more powerful, more capable, more comfortable, offers better occupant protection yet its curb weight has increased by just 10 kg. In addition to saving weight, the torsional rigidity of the body structure has been improved 47% and a true 50:50 weight distribution has been achieved, significantly reducing the MX-5’s moment of inertia about the vertical (yaw) axis. The most notable change to the MX-5’s shape is the elimination of the "Coke bottle" shape of the contours. The nose and tail are smoothly tapered, as before, but now the surfaces wrap smoothly between the wheels without narrowing. The functional benefit of this change is a wider cockpit with additional hip, shoulder, and elbowroom. In addition, the space needed for side air bags is available.

Sixteen years after Mazda reinvigorated the lightweight roadster category by unveiling the original MX-5 at the Chicago Auto Show, it has released the all-new, third-generation Mazda MX-5 at the 2005 Salon International de l'Auto in Geneva.

In May 2000, the Guinness Book of World Records recognized the Mazda MX-5 as the best-selling two-seat convertible sports car in history, with 531,890 units produced to that date. Since that affirmation, demand has held strong. More than 700,000 Mazda MX-5s have been sold around the globe.

Mazda has long produced unique and exciting sports cars. The first Mazda automobile to gain worldwide notoriety was the rotary-powered Mazda Cosmo Sport launched in 1967. The Mazda RX-7, which followed in 1978, won the hearts of sports car enthusiasts and two years ago, in 2003, Mazda introduced the Mazda RX-8 and rewrote the sports car rule book. Its combination of striking design, spectacular rotary performance and comfortable accommodation for four adults wrapped in a four-door package is truly innovative.

Not surprisingly, when creating the all-new Mazda MX-5, program manager Takao Kijima not only looked ahead to understand how the motoring world’s needs had changed since the original Mazda MX-5 was launched, he also looked back to pinpoint and focus on what made this Mazda so special in the eyes and hands of car enthusiasts the world over. What he found was an intensity of spirit possessed by very few sports cars.

Rider and Horse as One —"Jinba Ittai"

In Japanese, Mazda’s expression for the soul of the Mazda MX-5 is Jinba Ittai. The direct translation of the idiom is "rider and horse as one."

"Yabusame," a longstanding artistic ritual ceremony in Japan, truly embodies the essence of Jinba Ittai (pronounced gin-buy ee-tie). An archer mounted on horseback gallops past a target and shoots an arrow. To achieve a bull’s eye, the archer and horse must move as one. There must be a natural two-way communication and a high degree of synergy in their alliance.

This oneness of motion between rider and horse was selected as the most apt analogy depicting the relationship between the driver and a Mazda MX-5. Updated for the 21st century, Jinba Ittai is akin to the bond between a single-seat formula-car pilot and his racing car. It is also exemplified by a high-performance sport motorcycle rider at speed. Jinba Ittai is the essence of Mazda’s “Zoom-Zoom”.

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