Mazda has made a killing with its MX-5 launch in the UK with advance bookings already surpassing 1,000 mark before the official on-sale date.
With an OTR price of £18,495, Britons have already shelled out £20 million to buy the latest sports car from Mazda. The fourth-generation two-seater sports car has been pegged as a brand icon of Mazda by company’s Managing Director revealing that this car has strengthened the 25-year-old relation between Mazda and its customers.
“We’re delighted with the reaction to the new car. It’s won praise and awards from the press, and most importantly it’s resonating with our customers who have been placing orders well ahead of its arrival in dealerships”, Jeremy Thomson, MD Mazda Motors UK.
The company opened demonstrations of the new MX-5 across UK over the weekend and the company is optimistic that a first-hand driving experience will help customers gauge the finesse of the car and its capabilities.
Taking a little peak at the overall sales numbers of the MX-5 since its launch, Britons have already bought a whopping 116,517 MX-5s since the first generation model was launched. This is the success which the company is intending to build upon and is hopeful that the new fourth-generation MX-5 will help take its business in the UK to greater heights.
Peter Allibon, sales director of Mazda Motors UK, said: “With heavy demand for our latest sports car there’s no time to waste when it comes to getting behind the wheel.”
Despite the success of the MX-5 and its title of world’s best selling sports car, critics have questioned whether the MX-5 is fit for a sports car tag. With a firm focus on value for money, the MX-5 is indeed one of the cheapest sporty looking car you can get your hands on, but as far as the power is concerned, it is no where near what other sports car deliver.
MX-5 is available in two variants – 1.5-litre petrol and a 2.0-litre petrol – but both these engines are not in the league of the powerful. Mazda has stressed that the smaller engines are because it wants to stick to its roots, but critics are of the opinion that sports car need more powerful engines and with 2.0-litre petrol engine, the MX-5 isn’t amazingly fast.
Who can seriously question whether this car deserves the sports car moniker? If the new Miata does not qualify then neither did the MGs, Austin Healys, Alfa Romeos, Triumphs, and Morgans of the 60’s. The Miata will run rings around those old marques and be reliable and comfortable enough as an everyday driver. No, it is not as powerful as a current Corvette, Ferrari, or Porsche, nor were any of those older marques compared to those same contemporaries, but at the speeds most of us are compelled to drive it is more fun and will probably even out handle those high end GTs. Daily driving is not like a lap around the Nurburgring as much as we might like to make it one.