On February 4 this year Mazda reached a major milestone in the life of its MX-5, by producing the 900,000th unit. This significant landmark has been attained just 21 years and 10 months after production began on the original MX-5, in April of 1989.
Only 10 years ago, back in May of 2000, Guinness world records officially proclaimed the Mazda MX-5 as the 'world's best selling two-seater sports car' of all time, when production reached a momentous 531,890 units. This record was officially verified and updated at 700,000 and 800,000 units respectively, and Mazda has just applied to have it updated to the phenomenal 900,000 mark.
The introduction of the MX-5 to Mazda's line-up back in 1989 resurrected the idea of exciting everyday-use sports cars, by creating a fun drivers' car while complying with the ever increasing stringency of motor safety regulations. To this day, the model is officially the longest running model of the Mazda name plate.
Since Mazda launched the original MX-5, it has experienced two complete re-designs as well as numerous upgrades, and managing director of the models programme, Nobuhiro Yamamoto, says, "Its enduring success is due to the strong support it enjoys from MX-5 fans around the world. Going forward, I will strive to keep the MX-5's spirit alive while evolving it into a car that will be loved by even more people."