Mazda dropping the Miata name.

[SuperTool]

http://wardsauto.com/ar/auto_miata_name/index.htm

Can a name be too well known?

In a world where marketing gurus spend sleepless nights trying to figure out how to make household names of products, Mazda is swimming against the tide.

The auto maker is preparing to launch the all-new '06 MX-5, the first new-from-the-ground-up version since 1989 of the popular roadster known as the Miata in North America.

This reincarnation of a cult car is slightly bigger, not much heavier and engineered to be peppier and more dynamic on the road. The ?Coke bottle? curves have been smoothed out and the soft top can be swapped out for a new detachable hardtop. (See related story: Dedicated Platform Works for Mazda Icon)

Arguably the biggest change: Nowhere on the vehicle will you find the word Miata when it goes on sale in the second half of the year.

Apparently having beautiful names like Legend, Integra, and now Miata for cars is out, meaningless alphanumeric sequences that you can't tell apart are in.

 

[n7]

Moronic.

 

[ChooChooChooseMe]

Miata sounds better than '06 MX-5

 

[dug777]

i think it sounds girly

its always just been MX-5 here

 

[Baked]

Legend was awesome. Too bad it didn't sell well. I hate how Acura has to result to some random letters.

 

[SuperTool]

But it is the second reason that defies logic. Officials were concerned the Miata name had become better known than ?Mazda? itself.

How retarded is that. What's next, Ford dropping the Mustang name? Nissan dropping the Z name?

 

[dug777]

Except we got the MX-5 SP as well, a blown MX-5, did you?

 

[SuperTool]

Originally posted by: dug777
Except we got the MX-5 SP as well, a blown MX-5, did you?

Yes. It's called the Mazdaspeed MIATA.
They can put no badging at all on the car, and people will keep calling it Miata.

 

[toekramp]

well Miata sucked as a name...i think it's a good call

 

[Jumpem]

It's because in Japan there is a bicycle company called Myata. There were some suits back and forth over it.

 

[Shawn]

Old news. They dropped it a while ago. They call the Mazdaspeed Miatas, Mazdaspeed MX-5s.

 

[Actaeon]

Surprisingly, the Mazdaspeed Miata doesn't have Miata anywhere on the car itself, its just Mazdaspeed MX-5. On the webpage, it states its a Miata however.

This has been discussed on the Miata.net forums, alot of people, including myself, do not agree with this change.

 

[MeanMeosh]

i had the mx-6 and it was badass =D