First launched in 1989, the Mazda MX-5 instantly revived the market for affordable lightweight sports cars. Some 26 years later, the Japanese sports car is still going strong. Now in its fourth generation, the all-new MX-5 is headed for select European markets as Mazda has announced the start of production at its Hiroshima manufacturing facility in Japan.
The models rolling off the assembly line in Hiroshima are initially destined for the domestic market, where sales are scheduled to begin in June. The MX-5 will then be rolled out progressively to other regions, arriving in the UK later this year.
The fourth-gen model is the lightest MX-5 since the first generation. For Europe, Mazda has announced that it will be offering this new model with two efficient petrol engine options delivering 131bhp and 160bhp in low and high state of tunes respectively.