Sunday, August 10, marked a very special event for Mazda MX-5 owners in the country, as it celebrated a decade of driving passion and unforgettable memories with the MX-5 ND.
MX-5 owners, Miata Club members, car enthusiasts, close friends and Mazda corporate partners, together with select media gathered at the exclusive Rico’s Cafe, situated within the upscale Santa Elena Golf & Country Club community down south to commemorate ten years of creating unforgettable experiences with MX-5 ND in the country.
The MX-5 arguably stands as the most ubiquitous modern sports cars in the country today: 1,563 units of the ND generation MX-5 sold since 2015, and no slowing down even after a decade. In 2023 alone, Mazda had its best sales performance ever, moving 205 units. Mazda Philippines is confident that 2025 will mark another record-breaking sales year as it continues to capture the fancy of people from all walks of life. It’s truly a very accessible yet very much a proper sports car, universally admired and respected.
Designed as an honest, no-frills roadster focused on delivering maximum pleasure behind the wheel, the MX-5 captures the very heart of Mazda’s Jinba Ittai philosophy: the sense of oneness, of perfect unity and harmony between driver and car.
This dainty and delicate, very tactile roadster offers purity of driving pleasure many cars costing far more often fail to deliver. The MX-5 genuinely feels like an extension of the driver’s body.
To maintain strong enthusiasm and keep the passion alive among fans, Mazda Philippines has released numerous special and limited-edition MX-5 models over the years, including the 30th, 35th, and 100th Anniversary Editions.
Collaborating with local creativity and artistry, Mazda Philippines has created two distinctive special editions exclusively for the local market: the MCP (Miata Club of the Philippines) 25th Anniversary Edition and the Miata Cup 23rd Anniversary Edition. It’s not uncommon to find MX-5 owners who possess more than one precisely because of these unique models.
The MX-5 is also the most accessible way to join the prestigious Manila Sports Car Club, where MX-5 owners mingle with other sports car enthusiasts across various brands, bonded by a shared love for exciting, emotionally engaging vehicles. Attributes which the MX-5 perfectly exemplifies. 
Steven Tan, head of Mazda Philippines and a devoted MX-5 fan, mentioned that the Philippines hosts the largest active MX-5 community in Asia outside Japan. This prominence has also established the country’s longest-running single-make racing series: the Miata Cup organized by the Miata Club members, and now the MX-5 Spec Series. Both racing series are supported by Mazda Philippines, with the latter co-organized with the Manila Sports Car Club. The Miata Club itself, founded in 1997 is celebrating its 28th year in 2025 and has grown thanks to support from Mazda Philippines, lively club members and regular club activities and events. 
In 2024, Mazda introduced some big changes to the ND MX-5, boosting its driving dynamics with track-inspired features like Kinematic Posture Control (KPC), Dynamic Stability Control with Track Mode (DSC-Track), and an Asymmetric Limited Slip Differential (A-LSD). These additions build on a foundation of perfect front-to-rear weight balance and the lively yet adaptable 181hp 2.0-liter Skyactiv-G engine, paired with either a 6-speed manual—renowned as one of the best shifters in the automotive world—or a smooth 6-speed automatic that delivers power when attacking favorite back roads or mountain passes. The manual gearbox remains a key highlight of the MX-5, offering such immense driving joy that it arguably should be the only option to fully experience its essence.
Climbing in and out is a challenge for persons of large girths and statures, but the driving more than makes up for it: it is an incredibly enjoyable, almost life changing experience. I’ve been fortunate to create lasting memories linked to the MX-5 and Mazdas overall, such as driving the prototype MX-5 RF at Mazda’s Mine Circuit in early 2017, attending the 30th Anniversary of the MX-5 in Miyoshi in 2019, and most recently, the 2024 Mazda Fan Festa at Fuji Speedway where Mazda revealed the 35th Anniversary MX-5 with exclusive trims, colors, and components. As someone who has seen how the MX-5 has evolved first-hand throughout its decade-long presence in the country, it is one of those cars I feel a very strong emotional connection with. Thanks to the strong enthusiasm and support from Mazda and Big Boss Steven Tan, this attraction to the MX-5 is truly infectious. 
MX-5 passion knows no borders: on numerous trips to Mazda’s Hiroshima headquarters, I’ve had the chance to talk with a wide range of Mazda team members—from interns and trainees to factory workers, supervisors, and top executives. Many own an MX-5 (called the Eunos Roadster in Japan), and younger employees based in Mazda’s spiritual home and main manufacturing facility in Hiroshima regularly drive theirs daily. And traveling to Hiroshima, Miyoshi and the Mazda Fan Festa in Fuji Speedway has also allowed me to connect with other enthusiasts and media from all corners of the globe making their own pilgrimage to the home of Mazda and the MX-5. 
The MX-5 proves less is more: focus on feel, engagement, responsiveness, and overall driving enjoyment, eliminate everything non-essential to these aspects. You as a driver suddenly realize true, pure and distilled excitement behind the wheel. No need for extreme horsepower or a top speed that’s mostly irrelevant and unsafe on real roads.
Take one for a spin today and see why the MX-5 remains the best-selling roadster and open-top sports car globally, with over a million units produced and sold around the world.
