HIROSHIMA, Japan—Mazda Motor Corporation has announced that the all-new Mazda Roadster (known as Mazda MX-5 overseas) has been named 2015-2016 Car of the Year by the Japan Automotive Hall of Fame (JAHFA). An award ceremony was held today at Mazda's Tokyo office. Roadster is the third Mazda to win the award following the Mazda RX-8 which took the honor in 2003.

All-new Mazda Roadster

JAHFA's judges praised the all-new Roadster for its sophisticated open-top sports car design and advanced SKYACTIV TECHNOLOGY. They also noted the outstanding driving performance and fuel efficiency the model exhibits thanks to its lightweight yet highly rigid body.

The all-new Roadster is the sixth model in Mazda's new-generation lineup of vehicles featuring the full range of SKYACTIV TECHNOLOGY and KODO-Soul of Motion design. This lightweight open-top two-seater front-engine rear-wheel drive sports car is designed to provide pure Jinba-ittai driving fun. In redesigning the model Mazda concentrated on stimulating the senses and sensations through which people enjoy cars at a deeper level than ever before.

"Our Roadster represents everything we stand for in terms of our car-making philosophy, so we are delighted to have that recognized," said Masamichi Kogai, President and CEO of Mazda. "Mazda will continue to build cars that brighten people's lives. We aim to become a "one-and-only" brand for our customers, a brand they will choose again and again."

• *  SKYACTIV is the umbrella term for Mazda's range of next-generation technologies-including gasoline and diesel engines, transmissions, body and chassis – developed under Mazda's Sustainable Zoom-Zoom vision to provide both driving pleasure and outstanding environmental and safety performance.