Mazda Launches 'Roadster Power Retractable Hard Top'
The world's first lightweight open-top sports car with a power retractable roof that doesn't sacrifice trunk space
Mazda Motor Corporation has announced it has added the Power Retractable Hard Top (known as Mazda MX-5 Roadster Coupe in Europe and Mazda MX-5 (Miata) Power Retractable Hard Top in North America) model to its Roadster lineup that was fully remodeled last year. It features a groundbreaking electric roof system that doesn't reduce trunk space at all, and it goes on sale nationwide at all Mazda and Mazda Anfini dealers from today.
The Roadster Power Retractable Hard Top that carries Mazda's unique power retractable roof system steps in as the top-of-the-range model of the third-generation Roadster that was launched in August 2005. The Roadster has won more than 30 awards around the world including the 2005-2006 Japan Car of the Year accolade, earning itself an international reputation.
The Mazda Roadster Power Retractable Hard Top provides both a high level of comfort for an open-top sports car and the traditional Roadster"Jinba Ittai" ("Rider and horse as one") driving pleasure at the same time. The light-weight hard top has a simple one-touch open/close electric control, and boasts an unprecedented* mechanism which folds the roof away into the same space behind the seats and inside the wheelbase that the soft-top model requires. Being a Roadster, it is of course imbued with the "Jinba Ittai" dynamic performance, and while still being instantly recognizable, it has a new upmarket design that improves the "proud-to-be-seen-in" quality of the "fun" Roadster.
Takao Kijima, Program Manager for the Roadster said, "'Jinba Ittai' or 'heart-to-heart communication between a rider and a horse' represents the quintessence of the Roadster that Mazda has pursued since it developed the first model in 1989. With the Power Retractable Hard Top model, the driver and the vehicle can interact with each other as if having a conversation. This stylish and 'Lots of Fun' vehicle allows us to really feel the joy of 'Jinba Ittai'. As a product of Mazda's unique approach, I hope the Roadster Retractable Hard Top will allow more and more people to experience the 'fun' in all aspects of their daily life."
Main features of the Mazda Roadster Power Retractable Hard Top (RHT)
1) Fun to drive:The Roadster's enduring characteristic - "Jinba Ittai" ("Rider and horse as one")
The design of the lightweight compact roof makes allowances for the expanded aperture necessary for a power retractable roof, minimizes the weight increase while ensuring durability, and maintains the same small, lightweight, highly-rigid body as the soft-top; the key to achieving "Jinba Ittai".
The roof is installed in the space behind the seats near the vehicle's center-of-gravity, maintaining the 50:50 weight distribution. Also, it keeps a low yaw inertia moment that is important for a lightweight sports car feel.
The suspension system is optimized to suit the characteristics of the model - such as the rigid body - maintaining the same "Jinba Ittai" performance as the soft top.
2) Fun to own:Easily identifiable at a glance
Some aspects of the styling are inherited from the first generation model, such as the side silhouette with a low, flowing shoulder line.
When the roof is closed it displays a stylish compact cabin with a tightened, elegant line.
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