Mazda and Fiat finalize deal for Alfa roadster, next-gen MX-5 Miata

Mazda and Fiat Sign Agreement for New Alfa Romeo Roadster

Further to the joint announcement of May 23, 2012, Mazda Motor Corporation (Mazda) and Fiat Group Automobiles S.p.A. (Fiat) announced today the signing of the Final Agreement which will see Mazda produce an open-top two-seater sports car for Fiat’s Alfa Romeo brand at its Hiroshima, Japan, plant starting from 2015.

The new Alfa Romeo roadster will be developed for the global market, and will be based on the architecture of the next generation Mazda MX-5. The agreement foresees for both Mazda and Fiat to develop two differentiated, distinctly styled, iconic and brand-specific roadsters featuring rear-wheel drive. The Mazda and Alfa Romeo variants will each be powered by specific proprietary engines unique to each brand.

Through this contractual agreement, Mazda aims to enhance development and production efficiency and revitalize enthusiasm for open-top two-seater sports cars around the world. For Fiat, this collaboration will permit the company to deliver a modern interpretation of the classic Alfa Romeo roadster utilizing the latest technical solutions, helping Alfa Romeo to achieve its stated goals by 2016.

Turin/Hiroshima, January 18, 2013

How Revolutionary was the Mazda Miata in 1989?

(This article is from Popular Mechanics.) It’s hard to think about the original Mazda Miata without considering what it is today, nearly 30 years after its introduction. After all, it’s the default choice today for a cheap, light, simple sports car, perfect for just about everything from daily driving to club racing. But obviously, the…

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Tech Column – Mazda Says Its Next-Generation Gasoline Engine Will Run Cleaner Than an Electric Car

Mazda hopes to achieve 56 percent thermal efficiency with the Skyactiv-3 gasoline engine. That would make it the most efficient internal-combustion car engine in history. Mazda is staking much of its future on the continued existence of the internal-combustion engine, with clever tech like spark-controlled compression ignition set to debut in Mazda’s next-generation production-car engine,…

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Mazda MX-5 Miata – A Story of its Origin

Mazda often reminds us that the MX-5 Miata is the world’s favorite two-seat roadster, with more than a million sales since 1989. While total Corvette production is higher—one million by 1992, over 1.6 million to date—coupes outnumber convertibles in ‘Vette’ land by a wide margin. What Mazda is less vociferous to share is exactly how…

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