Click To View Larger Image

IRVINE, Calif. – Adding a new dimension to the Mazda MX-5 without diminishing its driving joy is no mean feat. The MX-5 Miata reinvented the lightweight, fun-to-drive, two-seat category in 1989, and has since become the world’s best-selling two-seat roadster. For 2007, Mazda’s iconic MX-5 will again set a new standard for the segment with the introduction of a Power Retractable Hard Top (PRHT). And with pricing beginning at only $24,350 (MSRP, not including tax, license and destination and handling fees), it provides drivers with year-round comfort and security as well as the joy of an open-top roadster at a truly affordable price.

Powered by a 170-hp, 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine, the MX-5 PRHT provides exactly the same trunk capacity as its soft-top cousin, regardless of whether the roof is stowed or over-head – a feat no other retractable hard top-equipped car sold in North America can boast . This breakthrough system requires only 12 seconds to open or close.

For $24,350, buyers will receive a Sport-trim MX-5 PRHT which includes the power retractable hard top, power windows, mirrors and door locks, anti-lock brakes, seat-mounted side SRS airbags and an AM/FM/CD player. Available options (some only available in packages) include leather seating, dynamic stability and traction control, Bilstein gas shock absorbers and run-flat tires. MX-5 PRHT will be available at Mazda dealers throughout the nation starting in late September.

Even fitted with its coupe-like hard top, the MX-5 PRHT continues to be a light-weight roadster offering a truly fun-to-drive experience, adding only approximately 77 pounds net weight. Some minor adjustments were in order to compensate for the added weight, though, including firmer shock absorbers, higher spring rates and a larger diameter front anti-roll bar.

When the top is down, MX-5 PRHT models can be identified by a fine chrome ring around the grille opening, bright bezels inside the headlamps, a chrome band in each door handle and a white lens on the CHMSL.

Mazda MX-5 PRHT comes with seven exterior colors having two new colors - S tormy Blue Mica and Highland Green Mica replacing two existing colors. Three interior packages—black fabric, black leather, and saddle-tan leather—carry over from the MX-5 soft top.