It’s not the world’s favourite sports car for nothing! This past weekend, on April 22nd 2016 and after 4 generations, Mazda rolled out the 1-millionth Mazda MX-5 after 27 years of production at the Ujina Plant No. 1 in Hiroshima.
The specially branded 1-millionth Mazda MX-5 – featuring decals of the number “1,000,000” above the series codes “NA – NB – NC – ND” will be appearing around the globe at various motor shows and events, starting on May 3rd at the Hiroshima Flower Festival, before making its way to the Goodwood Festival of Speed in June, on its world tour.
The Mazda MX-5 has enjoyed a glorious 27-year history to date, with its lauded ‘Jinba Ittai’ (Horse and rider as one) driving philosophy and back-to-basics approach to motoring making it a firm favourite amongst petrolheads the world over. Since the year 2000, the Mazda MX-5 has been the world’s best selling sports car, and with the 1-millionth Mazda MX-5 now in existence, it doesn’t look to relinquish the title anytime soon.
History of the Mazda MX-5:
| February 1989 | Original MX-5 introduced at the Chicago Auto Show |
| October 1997 | Second-generation MX-5 debuts at the Tokyo Motor Show |
| December 1998 | Launch of 10th Anniversary Limited Edition MX-5 |
| May 2000 | MX-5 recognised by Guinness World Records as the world’s best selling two-seater sports car (531,890 units produced) |
| January 2002 | Production reaches 600,000 units (Guinness World Record updated) |
| March 2005 | Third-generation MX-5 debuts at the Geneva International Motor Show |
| April 2005 | Production reaches 700,000 units (Guinness World Record updated) |
| July 2006 | Retractable hardtop model introduced at the British International Motor Show |
| June 2007 | Production reaches 800,000 units (Guinness World Record updated) |
| July 2009 | Launch of 20th Anniversary Limited Edition MX-5 |
| February 2011 | Production reaches 900,000 units (Guinness World Record updated) |
| April 2014 | Launch of 25th Anniversary Edition MX-5 |
| September 2014 | Debut of the fourth-generation MX-5 |
| March 2016 | Mazda MX-5 RF unveiled at the New York International Auto Show |
| April 2016 | 1-millionth Mazda MX-5 produced. |
