Mazda MX-5 ND orders stopped in Japan, major updates to be introduced in Q3 2023
CY Foong · Jul 4, 2023 10:40 AM
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The Mazda MX-5 is the quintessential answer to the question of the ultimate fun and affordable sports car for any budding petrolhead. Currently, the fourth generation ND has been on sale since 2015 but Mazda recently announced that it stopped taking orders for the sports car.
In a statement on Mazda Japan’s website, orders for the Mazda Roadster which is what the MX-5 is called in the Land of the Rising Sun have been put on hold. Translated from Japanese, the statement read “Sales will end as soon as all stocks are exhausted. In addition, even if the store has stock, it may not be possible to meet the customer’s request on body colour or options.”
The Mazda MX-5 ND has seen plenty of minor improvements over the 8 years it has been on sale and in Japan, the roadster last received an update in late-2022. The 2022 Mazda Roadster update saw the introduction of a unique brown soft top as well as the addition of the Zircon Sand Metallic body colour.
Could this mean that the MX-5 will be seeing a new generation very soon? Well, not exactly as it turns out the ND might be seeing a major overhaul in terms of exterior looks and interior design based on information revealed to Japanese media.
The Roadster Karuizawa Meeting is an annual gathering of Mazda Roadster/MX-5 in Japan
According to a report by Driver-Web, the MX-5’s development chief, Shigeki Saito, revealed at the 2023 Roadster Karuizawa Meeting back in May that a new MX-5 is currently in development. “We are about to make the biggest product improvements on the ND (MX-5). We won’t change much on the design but when you see it, you’ll think it’s a new car,” he said at the event.
One of the biggest talking points of the new MX-5 is a revamped centre display which will be frameless. In terms of the powertrains, there will be no changes to both the 1.5-litre (132 PS/152 Nm) and 2.0-litre (184 PS/205 Nm) SkyActiv-G engines though the latter will be added to the soft top variants in Japan. The larger of the two engines is only offered with the RF targa top variant in the country.
At the same event, Saito-san also revealed that the improved MX-5 is planned to be introduced in the fall of 2023 which is around the third quarter (Q3) of the year.
The Mazda MX-5 has been recognised as the world’s best-selling sports car with over 1.1 million units sold since the first generation was introduced in 1989. The fourth-generation ND is not the longest-running generation of the MX-5 but with this next major update, it might feel like it will soldier on forever.
Traded advertising for a career that fits his passion for cars. Enjoys spotting cars during his free time and has a soft spot for Japanese Kei cars but drives a thirsty manual sedan.
