UK: Mazda MX-5 achieves Icon status
Click image for photo gallery
To celebrate the fact that the Mazda MX-5 accounts for a quarter of all new sports car purchases in the United Kingdom, the automaker has unveiled a new special edition paint and trim package dubbed "Icon." The Icon can be had with either the 1.8L engine mated to a 5-speed manual or the sprightlier 2.0L matched with a six-speed. Naturally, Icon badging will adorn the car's exterior, which can be coated in a choice of red, white or blue paint -- to match the Union Jack, natch. Inside, the Icon logo is embroidered onto the car's black leather seats and carpeted floormats. Climate control is also included as one of the standard features in the Icon package, which will be limited to 875 1.8L MX-5s and 375 of the 2-liter cars.
Additional details can be found in the press release pasted after the jump.
[Source: Mazda UK]
Gallery: Mazda MX-5 Icon (UK)
PRESS RELEASE:
Special Edition 'Mazda Mx-5 Icon' zooms into summer
- Just 875 MX-5 1.8i Icon and 375 MX-5 2.0i Icon will be available in the UK
- Mazda MX-5 Icon, based on the MX-5 1.8i and 2.0i Option Pack models, offers up to £1,500 worth of additional features
The appropriately named 'Mazda MX-5 Icon' is the latest edition of the world's best-selling roadster and is specially designed to appeal to British drivers looking to purchase their very first soft-top roadster this summer. A true sports car, the rear-wheel drive MX-5 delivers unrivalled handling, driving dynamics and wind-in-the-hair motoring.
Representing extremely competitive value for money, the Mazda MX-5 Icon is available in two versions – the 'entry-level' 1.8i Icon features a 126ps engine and a five-speed transmission and is priced at £16,825 on-the-road. Customers in search of higher performance can choose the 2.0i Icon powered by a 160ps engine mated to a six-speed transmission and costing £17,825.
Both Icon models offer fantastic value with up to £1,500 worth of additional extras. Special features of the Icon include climate control air-conditioning, Icon-branded black Medici leather seats and unique Icon-branded luxury interior mats.
Exterior features include Icon badging and chrome style bar trims and the cars can be ordered in one of three exterior colours – Copper Red Mica, unique Marble White (solid) and Stormy Blue Mica.
"Since the demise of the MG TF and Toyota MR2, there is no longer a defined 'roadster' segment within the non-premium sports car market," commented Mazda UK's Managing Director Rob Lindley.
"Today, a section of the public perceives competitors to the Mazda MX-5 to include other open-top cars like the Mini Convertible, Vauxhall Tigra and Peugeot 207CC – all non-sports car segment vehicles.
Now, the Mazda MX-5 Icon aims to attract those customers by offering an irresistible combination of a uniquely sporty rear‑ wheel drive, wind-in-the-hair experience, high specification and excellent value. We are sure that this new model is an Icon by name and the MX-5 is certainly iconic by nature!" concluded Lindley.
As well as adding the special Icon features, generous standard equipment of the MX-5 ensures that buyers can enjoy: leather wrapped steering wheel, gear knob and handbrake, six-speaker audio system, electric windows, premium black cloth soft-top, 16-inch alloy wheels, twin chrome exhaust tail pipes and a Thatcham Category 1 alarm and immobiliser.
Icon owners will also enjoy a degree of exclusivity as production of this latest Mazda MX-5 model will be restricted. Just 875 examples of the MX-5 1.8i Icon and 375 units of the MX-5 2.0i Icon will be available in the UK.
Despite all of the additional specification, both Mazda MX-5 Icon special editions remain in the same insurance groups as their standard counterparts – 11E (1.8i) and 13E (2.0i).
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
ASM 1:40PM (5/29/2007)
... and in the US we are still without a special edition for the NC (except for the launch one). Sucks. But I love mine still anyway.
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autohobby 2:15PM (5/29/2007)
What a great name! There is no other car out there that comes close. The latest style is, in my mind, one of the best automotive designs ever. I predict that this is one of those cars that will never look dated. Thus, it truly is iconic.
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spindle 3:06PM (5/29/2007)
I think the icon colors are chosen to match the colors introduced with the miata in 1989. Probably the best design that year too.
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Mike 3:38PM (5/29/2007)
Appropriate. I guess the MX-5 is the closest thing to a tiny British roadster with mass appeal that the autoworld has seen since the Jag E-Type and TVR and such.
Too bad the Brits don't use their history to get back into this market with something good looking with decent performance and low price...could be a serious contender again.
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Barney 4:44PM (5/29/2007)
Leave it simple and give the name "Miata" back to it. This car sells because of the lack of bells & whistles. The "Icon" with extra treats, defies the original.
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Jason 5:31PM (5/29/2007)
There is nothing here to be happy about. The MX-5 sells terrible in car-conscious Los Angeles (and everywhere else), has the front end of a Nissan Pulsar (plain, alien bug eyes), and a retarded name. Put it to pasture and move on already. It's day was 15 years ago.
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bathtub gin 7:00PM (5/29/2007)
Only red, white, and blue? No British Racing Green? Seems like they are missing an opportunity.
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Jeff Banks 9:39PM (5/29/2007)
Not totally sure, but I think the MX-5 only comes with one engine choice (in the US). I hope they keep it that way-its cool that you can get the lowest package (sans all the heavy options) and get the same performance package as the higher-equiped models.
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gsolman6 10:47PM (5/29/2007)
Jason: What are you talking about? The Miata is the best selling sports car of all time! Its cheap to own and fun to drive. Its the basis for Mazda whole zoom-zoom approach to marketing its lineup and its won some 150 awards. All these roadsters coming out in the last 15 years: S2000, Z3, SLK, Boxster, Solstice, Sky, that new Dodge thing, etc. owe it all to Mazda for rejuvenating this auto segment. Maybe, just maybe, the rest of the country should ignore what Californians think is trendy and go for something with a little shelf life!
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Jason 1:28AM (5/30/2007)
You have some good points. But the bottom line is the car does not sell well at all. I can't blame it all on Mazda, as this segment has been dying a slow death for years now. What I dislike the most is they dumped the Miata name and gave it Nissan Pulsar NX headlights from the 80's. The car looks like a oval bathtub when it could have been much more styled. I am sure it drives great, but that's not enough anymore in today's highly competitive world. I look at this car and conclude Mazda out of touch with modern times. Just my two cents. Again, I am sure it is a fun car to drive, but that isnt' enough to make decent sales numbers and appeal to more people.
Roland 9:34AM (5/30/2007)
Jason, why do you say the car is not selling? This is not a car to everybody. It only attract a select few people who only need space for two and a great driving dynamics. With a very good competition from Pontiac and Saturn, Mazda will sell fewer MX-5s but is that a reason to cancel one of the most recognized and awarded vehicle on the road now?. Let's just hope that Pontiac and Saturn cars can retain their value and stay in one piece after many years of service on the roads. Retarded Name? I'm sure all the millions of Honda Civics and Nissan Altimas that California buys are much more stylized and interesting to look at and with a better name than an MX-5. Yeah, if we judge the style or beauty of a car by how many millions of cars a carmarker sells, then Toyotas are the most beautiful cars out there (yuck).
Jason 5:04PM (5/30/2007)
I understand what you are saying and it's true it's a nitch car. But when one looks at the first few years of wild sales (late 80's), it really pales in comparison to today's sales. Either the car isn't cutting it anymore, or this nitch has shrunk. My guess is both.
Equiraptor 10:05AM (5/30/2007)
Jason, do you have any sales figures to back this up?
A car like the MX-5 will sell poorly when compared with a car like a Camry, but that's to be expected. Given the added competition from the Solstice and Sky, the third gen MX-5 won't sell as well as the essentially competitor-less second gen, but the car's definitely still selling. It is the world's "the world's top selling lightweight, open-top, two-seat sports car" according to Guinness World Records of the U.K. While that doesn't prove continued high sales, you've provided nothing but "I think it's ugly" to say why they aren't selling well.
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twc 5:22PM (5/30/2007)
Jason is wrong. The MX-5 is selling very well. So far in 2007 it is outselling the Solstice here in the USA. YTD, the MX-5 US sales are only off 1.5% from last year, and last year was a very good year. 2006 was it's fifth best year of production ever.
Barney 12:10AM (5/31/2007)
It's for the person who can afford a spare car. (or able to convince the spouse) It's not a daily driver or winter car. It's a car for those who love windy roads and drive for the fun of it.
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Equiraptor 9:32AM (5/31/2007)
Jason, you need to learn a bit more about the Miata. There were not a "few years" of sales of the Miata in the late '80s. There was at most ONE year - the car was released as a 1990 year model in 1989. At the time, it was the only lightweight, inexpensive on the market, and there hadn't been one available for some time. Of course it selled excellently.
After 17 years of a great little roadster, the current generation is just not going to sell as well as that first one. Supply and demand comes into play - the supply of lightweight roadsters, now, is so much larger than it was in 1990.
Not only that, total sales of the MX-5 went up from 2004 to 2005, and went up again from 2005 to 2006. The third generation is a 2006 year model. Check Mazda's website for the numbers.
Do you actually own an MX-5, Jason? I've owned a '94 (first generation) and a 2006 (third generation), both as daily drivers. The 2006 is absolutely the better car for that use. It's also the better car at autocross (at least in CSP, which is where my car runs).
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