The all-new and third-generation MX-5 expresses Mazda’s ‘zoom-zoom’ slogan in its purest form, says the company.

UK sales start in November, with prices expected to be £1,000 to £1,500 higher than the current 1.8’s £15,500. Sales target in 2006 is 9,000 units.

Introduced in 1989, the MX-5 is the industry’s best-selling two-seat sportscar. The company will rely on the new model and rotary-engined RX-8 as cornerstones of its sporty image.

Takao Kijima, the Mazda engineer responsible for the new MX-5, says priorities were lightness (“we made every gram count”), more room and comfortable cockpit, 50:50 weight distribution and sharper throttle response.