Mazda MX-5 Miata NB Japanese M 1.6-Litre DOHC Engine
Mazda listed the Japanese Roadster M with a 1600 DOHC engine and manual or automatic transmission in September 2003. Its engine code and full production period remain unconfirmed by the cited release.
Engine application
The 1.6-litre DOHC engine powered the Japanese-market Mazda Roadster M documented in Mazda’s September 2003 lineup. Mazda’s designation was “1600 DOHC”; DOHC denotes double overhead camshafts. The M was offered with a five-speed manual or four-speed electronically controlled automatic transmission. Mazda’s contemporary release identifies these combinations.
This record sits beneath the Japanese M variant within the NB generation. It describes that engine application, rather than every 1.6-litre engine used across the MX-5 family.
Place in the Japanese lineup
Mazda announced Japanese sales of the updated Roadster on 18 September 2003. Its lineup grouped M, NR-A and SP under 1600 DOHC, with RS, RS-II and VS under 1800 DOHC. The smaller engine therefore served several grades rather than identifying a unique M-only engine.
The announcement documents availability on a calendar date; it does not establish the engine’s introduction date, complete production span or an export model-year specification. The facelift concerned equipment and appearance, and the release does not announce an M-specific engine redesign.
Identification and evidence limits
An engine code is not established by the cited release. Exact displacement, output, torque, internal dimensions, engine assembly location and application-specific production totals are therefore left unspecified. A contemporary Japanese technical specification or homologation record is needed before adding those details. Specifications from other markets or engine applications should not be substituted.
For a separate engine application within the same generation, see the NB 10th Anniversary Edition 1.8-litre DOHC record.