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Mazda Miata speedster and spyder concepts set for SEMA

Mazda will show speedster and spyder concepts based on the 2016 MX-5 Miata next week at SEMA in Las Vegas. The speedster is at the top of the teaser, and the spyder is the bottom half. The speedster goes with an extreme lightweight design. It has only a small wind deflector in place of the windshield and a blue ether topcoat. The spyder is a vintage roadster rendered into a modern form with a handcrafted leather interior and mercury silver paint job. Both are lighter than the production version and will be sure to get the hearts of Mazda fanatics and roadster enthusiasts alike racing at the possibilities. We doubt either will actually see production, like so many Miata-based concepts of the recent past. But that won't stop us from dreaming all the same. MAZDA TO SHOWCASE LIGHTWEIGHT PERFORMANCE AT SEMA WITH TWO MX-5 MIATA CONCEPTS - MX-5 Spyder and Speedster Concepts Bring Vintage Cues into Modern Designs - IRVINE, Calif., Oct. 29, 2015 -- The Mazda MX-5 Miata has been an exercise in honing the concept of a lightweight sports car for more than 26 years, created solely for driving exhilaration. But for the 2015 SEMA Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Mazda designers wanted to see what they could do if that idea was taken to the extreme. What they created were two vastly different takes on the fourth-generation MX-5: The 2016 MX-5 Spyder Concept and 2016 MX-5 Speedster Concept. MX-5 Spyder captures the character of a vintage roadster and translates it into a modern-day design, including bespoke leather interior details that were painstakingly crafted, and featuring a new Mercury Silver concept paint color. MX-5 Speedster is a study in the extremes of lightweight, purpose-built performance, paying homage to minimalist roadsters of the 1950s. The Blue Ether-painted MX-5 Speedster is uncompromised in its approach to wind-in-the-hair driving, going so far as to eschew a traditional windshield for a lighter deflector. Both cars are significantly lighter than the 2,332-lbs. MX-5 roadster that customers can purchase at dealers and come with a host of conceptual and aftermarket pieces and fabrication from partners including Racing Beat, Haartz Corporation, ASC – American Sunroof Corporation, Makin Industries/RAYS Wheels, KW Suspensions, Delta Seat, H&R Springs, Lusch, AC&A Manufacturing, Franks Fab Shop, Long Road Racing and SIM Specialty Interior Manufacturing.

2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata first in-car observations

We've had few days to digest the all-new 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata since the roadster was first revealed on Wednesday evening when we offered you our first impressions. Since that time, we've gone back and looked at the car a number of times in person here in California, and we've even seen it briefly run under its own power (okay, it was more of a saunter). What we didn't get the chance to do at the reveal, however, was sit inside the car. We've since been able to remedy that, and while we haven't been allowed to drive the new roadster, we do have some initial in-car impressions to share with you.
First, the location and feel of the major controls is quite excellent. The three-spoke steering wheel is an MX-5 specific item - it's not shared with any other Mazda. That's vital, because others would likely be too big in diameter or have the wrong rim thickness. The wheel's redundant controls seem to be well laid out and the airbag boss is very small. The column tilts, but unfortunately and somewhat inexplicably, it still doesn't telescope.
Pedals are well-spaced, and the six-speed manual has the same short throws and positive engagement that we've come to know and love.

Mazda3 celebrates 10 happy years

Mazda is on the cusp of unveiling an all-new Mazda3, but the compact will mark an important milestone before that happens. The very first Mazda3 rolled off of the assembly line on June 25, 2003. A decade later, the little car has snagged some 136 awards. The first generation sold 2.2 million units over the span of six years, and the second has smiled its way into the hearts of 1.4 million buyers since 2009. Mazda notes the machine even took the honor of being the top-selling passenger car in Australia in 2011 and 2012.
So, what will the future bring? The Japanese automaker is keeping the details to itself for the moment. From the spy photos we've seen, it looks as if the new design will fall under the company's new Kodo design philosophy. That same language brought us the perilously sexy Mazda6, and the new Mazda3 should be no less attractive. You can check out those photos here.
You can also read the full press release on the compact's 10-year anniversary below.