MAZDA MX-5 25TH ANNIVERSARY

Mazda unveils the Mazda MX-5 25th Anniversary Edition at the 2014 New York International Auto Show, celebrating the introduction a quarter of a century ago of what would become the most popular roadster in history. The unconventional Japanese carmaker is also exhibiting the newly developed SKYACTIV-Chassis that will underpin the next-generation MX-5.

The MX-5 is the model that best symbolises Mazda's carmaking philosophy. Initially launched in 1989, the little roadster has consistently offered the kind of fun only a lightweight sports car can, winning a diversity of fans in terms of culture, geography and demography. More than 940,000 MX-5s have been produced over three generations, and it continues to hold the Guinness World Record for best selling two-seater sports car.

The Mazda MX-5 25th Anniversary Edition brings together two-and-a-half decades of fun. Based on the existing retractable hard top model with six-speed manual or automatic transmission, it features Bilstein shock absorbers along with a Soul Red Metallic exterior accented with a black roof, A-pillars and side mirrors. The interior, meanwhile, comes in off-white leather upholstery and door trim along with a hand-finished decorative panel.

Mazda will also reveal the new SKYACTIV-Chassis destined for the upcoming fourth-generation MX-5. On display together with the engine, it will be the first adaptation of SKYACTIV Technology in a front mid-ship engine, rear-wheel drive layout. With a lower centre of gravity and the engine located closer to the centre of the car, the next MX-5 will feature its most compact configuration yet. Mazda is also aiming to reduce overall weight by more than 100kg relative to the current model while at the same time enhancing rigidity and crashworthiness.

"The original concept behind the Mazda MX-5 was so simple: To offer the pure joy of a lightweight sport car that moves precisely as the driver intends," says Mazda Motor Corporation Chairman of the Board Takashi Yamanouchi. "While responding to increasing safety and environmental requirements over the 25 years since its launch, we have had to continually reinvent the MX-5 far beyond simple evolution to stay true to that original ideal. The history of the MX-5 is one of changing everything to stay the same: A history of innovating in order to preserve."