Japan loves the new Mazda MX-5 so much, they just made it the country’s Car of the Year ~ All About Ford Mustang

Mazda recently walked away with some good praise. Japan loves the MX-5 so much, they gave it their Car of the Year award, similarly to how we have our North American Car of the Year.

The Miata MX-5 is on our nation’s list as well, but the final winner for the car position won’t be announced until January.

Japan’s list for Car of the Year also included the BMW 2-Series at third place, while the hot new Honda S660 came in second. The BMW took the cake however as Import Car of the Year.

Of course, it might seem a bit typically predictable that a car made nationally would receive the national award for the Car of the Year, but judging by the recent press, the Miata has been scoring very high praise already. It’s less powerful than its predecessor, but it’s much lighter to make it just as amiably quick to make it fun and for those who think driving a slow car fast is just more fun.

Do you think it adds to the greater possibility of it being chosen for our North American award?

All-New Mazda Roadster Wins Car of the Year Japan

HIROSHIMA, Japan—Mazda Motor Corporation’s all-new Mazda Roadster (known as MX-5 outside Japan) has been named the 2015-2016 Car of the Year Japan.

The all-new Roadster is the sixth model in Mazda’s new-generation lineup of vehicles that feature the full range of SKYACTIV TECHNOLOGY^*1 and KODO-Soul of Motion design. This lightweight open-top two-seater front-engine rear-wheel drive sports car is designed for pure Jinba-ittai driving fun.

In redesigning the model, Mazda aimed to further deepen the experience of driving fun and managed to both perfect the driving position and reduce the weight of the car by over 100 kilograms.^*2 While ensuring that the model would remain a true driver’s car, Mazda engineers were determined to make the vehicle practical enough for daily use, adopting a weatherproof, easy-to-open-and-close top and ensuring enough space in the luggage compartment for two carry-on-sized bags.

All passenger vehicles with an expected annual sales volume of over 500 units, announced or launched in Japan between October 1, 2014 and October 31, 2015 are eligible for this year’s Car of the Year Japan award. The Roadster follows the Mazda Demio (Mazda2) last year to become the sixth Mazda vehicle to take the Car of the Year award Japan.

“This result is thanks to everyone’s enthusiastic support, and we are both grateful and proud that our Roadster has received such a prestigious award,” said Masamichi Kogai, President and CEO of Mazda. “Inspired by this win, we will continue building cars that offer driving pleasure, aiming to become a ‘one-and-only’ for our customers that they will choose again and again.”