Mazda MX-5 Miata ND 30th Anniversary Edition SKYACTIV-G 2.0 Engine

SKYACTIV-G 2.0 in the anniversary edition

The SKYACTIV-G 2.0 powered market-specific versions of the Mazda MX-5 Miata ND 30th Anniversary Edition. Mazda explicitly identified this engine in the US anniversary model, with an output of 181 hp, and in Japanese Roadster RF anniversary cars. This record covers that application within the anniversary variant, rather than the complete SKYACTIV-G engine family. Mazda’s US anniversary announcement and Japanese specification announcement establish those applications.

Development and US specification

The anniversary car followed the engine revisions introduced for the US 2019 model year. Mazda announced these in June 2018: the revised 2.0-litre engine developed 181 hp at 7,000 rpm and 151 lb-ft at 4,000 rpm, while its redline increased from 6,800 to 7,500 rpm.

Changes included lighter pistons and connecting rods, revised valve operation, a larger exhaust-manifold internal diameter, reworked intake ports and revised fuel injectors. Mazda also described a new exhaust system and a low-inertia dual-mass flywheel. These were developments of the regular MX-5 powertrain preceding the anniversary edition; the anniversary announcement does not identify a separate engine tune. The figures here describe Mazda’s US specification and should not be treated as independently verified Japanese ratings. See Mazda’s 2019-model engineering announcement.

Japanese and US applications

In Japan, Mazda’s March 2019 specification table paired SKYACTIV-G 2.0 with the retractable-hardtop Roadster RF, rear-wheel drive and either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission. The manual anniversary RF was based on the RS; the automatic used the VS as its base. The Japanese soft-top anniversary car instead received SKYACTIV-G 1.5 and a six-speed manual. Its engine is covered by the separate 1.5-litre sibling record. Japanese announcement.

For the United States, Mazda’s May 2019 announcement confirms SKYACTIV-G 2.0 and 181 hp. Its stated allocation of 643 anniversary cars is a US vehicle allocation, not an engine-production total. Likewise, the worldwide anniversary programme’s 3,000-car limit must not be interpreted as the number of 2.0-litre engines produced. US announcement.

Production context and historical significance

Mazda scheduled Japanese anniversary RF production for August 2019 onward. That was a prospective calendar-year production statement, distinct from the US car’s 2019 model-year designation; it does not establish an exact completion date. Japanese production schedule.

The RF’s manufacturing context was Mazda’s Ujina Plant No. 1 in Hiroshima, Japan, where RF vehicle production began in October 2016. This identifies the vehicle assembly location, rather than proving where the anniversary cars’ individual engines were manufactured. Mazda’s RF production announcement.

Within the ND generation, this application connects the anniversary edition with the revised, higher-revving US 2019-model powertrain. Its historical significance lies in that combination of established engine development and commemorative vehicle specification; the available announcements do not establish an anniversary-exclusive engine design.

Sources

• Mazda: Japanese Roadster 30th Anniversary specifications and planned production, 25 March 2019.
• Mazda North American Operations: US anniversary engine rating and allocation, 13 May 2019.
• Mazda North American Operations: US 2019-model engine development, 20 June 2018.
• Mazda: start of MX-5 RF vehicle production in Hiroshima, 5 October 2016.

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• Mazda MX-5 Miata ND 30th Anniversary Edition SKYACTIV-G 2.0 in 2019

  The 2.0-litre anniversary edition covered US soft-top and RF models and Japan’s RF. Japanese RF production was scheduled from August 2019; a final production date is not established.

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