Mazda MX-5 production begins

The manufacturing robots are now in full swing after Mazda hit the 'go' button at its Ujina plant in Hiroshima to begin production of the new MX-5.

The initial batch of Mazda convertible sports cars that roll off the factory line will be sold in Japan starting in June, and Australian deliveries will begin later in the year.

With pricing that could dip under $40,000, along with new 1.5 and 2.0-litre engines, a more advanced chassis, sharp new styling and a strict diet that means it's 100kg lighter, the new Mazda MX-5 is expected to be one of the most anticipated sports car launches of the year.

We've already driven pre-production versions of the new Mazda MX-5 and it attained a rating of 81/100, meaning that Mazda has clearly got the recipe right.

That model was powered by a 1.5-litre four-pot petrol engine from the Mazda2, tuned to deliver more poke: 96kW and 150Nm. Despite the relatively small output, motoring.com.au's Road Test Editor, Matt Brogan, had plenty of praise for the new MX-5.

"The new MX-5 seems to defy its meagre on-paper figures. It will happily 'pull' from lower in the rev range without needing to downshift in ordinary driving scenarios, but drop a cog or two and the little 1.5 races briskly to redline offering progressive acceleration for overtaking."

Since the MX-5, or 'Miata', was introduced in 1989, it has sold more than 950,000 units and currently holds the Guinness World Record as the world's best-selling two-seater sports car.