By Patrick Tulfo / Photos by Ronald Rey de los Reyes
IT seems that Mazda is on a roll nowadays. It has been launching one model after another in the Philippines.
Last month Berjaya Philippines, the official distributor of Mazda vehicles in the country, took selected members of the media on a southern jaunt to let them experience what the new Mazda2 has to offer.
Two weeks ago, Mazda again unveiled another stunner, which was eagerly awaited by a host of enthusiasts—the all-new Mazda MX-5.
In a glittering presentation held on August 6 in one of Makati’s newest venues, the Green Sun Hotel on Pasong Tamo Extension, members of the media, as well as current Miata owners, watched in awe as Mazda presented the latest iteration of its well-loved roadster to attendees.
Steven Tan, president and CEO of Mazda Philippines, proudly said, “The all-new MX-5 is the epitome of Mazda’s core ethos of providing pure driving pleasure on the road. The amount of design and engineering effort that was put in by Mazda engineers into this latest-generation MX-5 is intended to bring back the first MX-5 to deliver joy in driving.”
He added that they are confident that the new MX-5 will not only achieve its goals of providing a unique “top down” driving experience but will set a new benchmark in providing more smiles to its owners, as well as those who will simply see the car.
The new MX-5 may be the embodiment of what Kodo (Soul of Motion) is all about, with its sleek design, as well as vaunted SkyActiv technology. It took engineers 10 years to come up with the new model and, more important, face the challenge of sticking to the formula that made it one of the most successful roadsters of all time.
Also present during the launch were its chief designer Masashi Nakayama; Hiroshi Inoue, executive officer of Mazda Motors Corp.; Hitoshi Takamatsu, the all-new Mazda MX-5 deputy manager for vehicle development promotion; and Tom Matano, designer of the first- and second-generation MX-5s.
According to Mazda, all Philippine-bound Miata MX-5s are equipped with a tuned 2.0-liter SkyActiv gasoline direct-injection engine, which boasts of the highest compression ratio compared to other gasoline engines. It is designed to deliver more torque and faster response. Buyers will have a choice of a SkyActiv six-speed automatic transmission or a six-speed manual gearbox.
The two-seat open-top sports car also features MZD connect, Mazda’s in-car connectivity system, which is also installed in the current Mazda3. There is also the familiar Active Display, which projects relevant information on the heads up panel. Last, the vehicle is also equipped with the highly effective “i-Stop” start-stop fuel-saving function and is 100 kilograms lighter than the model it replaces.