Manufactured at Mazda's Hiroshima plant, the MX-5 debuted in 1989 at the Chicago Auto Show and was created under the design credo Jinba ittai (人馬一体), meaning "oneness of horse and rider".

[3][4][N 1] The original MX-5 was launched at a time when small roadsters had almost disappeared from the market, with the Alfa Romeo Spider as one of the few comparable models still in production, though at a significantly higher price.

Its longitudinal truss, marketed as the Powerplant Frame (PPF), provides a rigid connection between the engine and differential to minimize flex and improve balance.

[7] In 1976, Bob Hall, a journalist at Motor Trend magazine who was an expert in Japanese cars and fluent in the language, met Kenichi Yamamoto and Gai Arai, head of Research and Development at Mazda.

In 1983, the idea turned concept was approved under the "Offline 55" program, an internal Mazda initiative that sought to change the way new models were developed.

The mid-engined car appeared to offer favorable qualities, although it was known at the time that such a layout would struggle to meet the noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) requirements of the project.

The Duo 101, so named as either a soft top or hardtop could be used, incorporated many key stylistic cues inspired by the Lotus Elan, a 1960s roadster, including the door handles, tail lamps and grille opening as well as engine appearance and center console layout.

While Tom Matano,[11] Mark Jordan, Wu-huang Chin (秦無荒, also on the RX-7 team), Norman Garrett, and Koichi Hayashi (林 浩一) worked on the final design, the project was moved to Japan for engineering and production details.

By 1989, with a definitive model name now chosen, the MX-5 was ready to be introduced to the world as a true lightweight sports car, weighing just 940 kg (2,070 lb).

The MX-5 was designed with inspiration from the Lotus Elan, and features such as pop-up headlights, unique to the NA model, and slim chrome door handles pay homage to the famous British roadster.

To keep the weight and price down, base models were not equipped with power steering, air conditioning, a sound system, and had steel wheels.

While it kept the same proportions of its predecessor, its most noticeable change was the removal of the retractable headlamps, which were eliminated in the face of more stringent pedestrian safety tests.

The NB model of the MX-5 featured a slight increase in engine power, a refined interior design and the option of a six-speed manual transmission.

In 2001, the model underwent revisions, the second generation boasted a slight increase in engine power, a more refined interior with an updated design, and a newly available six-speed manual transmission.

[13] The ND generation introduced a Retractable Fastback (RF) variant that features a rigid roof and buttresses that give the silhouette a more coupé-like appearance than the soft top convertible.