USA - The Mazda MX-5 Miata takes the Best Convertible to buy award from The Car Connection.

The Mazda MX-5 Miata has been named the Best Convertible to Buy for 2017 by the editors of The Car Connection. The editorial team at the automotive news and vehicle reviews website agreed that the lightweight MX-5 roadster is a standout in its class, outperforming its competitors with a driving experience that only the world’s best-selling roadster can deliver.

“We’ve owned them, raced them, test-driven them. Year after year, the Mazda MX-5 Miata reminds us that less does indeed equal more,” said Marty Padgett, editorial director for Internet Brands Automotive, the parent company of The Car Connection. 

“It’s a welcome diversion from the horsepower arms race, with its light weight, sharp handling and stylish body. It’s the very essence of the classic two-seat sports car.”

The MX-5 embodies Mazda’s commitment to pure driving enjoyment and its spirit lives in every vehicle it sells. Earlier this year, the 2016 MX-5 was awarded as the first vehicle to ever win World Car of the Year and World Car Design of the Year in the same year. Globally, there have been more than one-million MX-5s built, speaking to the loyal following it has earned throughout the past three decades from daily drivers, to weekend warriors to racers to parent-child project cars, alike.

With a starting MSRP[1] of $24,915, the 2016 MX-5 Miata adopts Mazda’s full suite of SKYACTIV Technology and KODO—Soul of Motion design language. The pricing and packaging on one of the torchbearers for the Mazda brand provides owners with superb value at every price point, keeping the MX-5 Miata top-of-mind as one of the world’s most beloved convertibles. In 2017, the MX-5 family will grow with the inclusion of the MX-5 RF retractable fastback convertible.

The 50,000th Nissan Leaf comes of the production line at Sunderland and heads to a customer in France.

• World’s best-selling mass-market electric vehicle achieves landmark production milestone at Nissan’s Sunderland Plant
• Nissan becomes the first European carmaker with integrated battery manufacturing technology to reach 50,000 total

Three years after Nissan introduced electric vehicle and battery manufacturing to Europe, the 50,000^th European-built Nissan LEAF has rolled off the production line.

Manufactured in Nissan’s flagship plant in Sunderland, UK, it is the first time a European carmaker has built 50,000 electric vehicles (EVs) and the batteries which power them – further confirmation of Nissan’s innovation and leadership in electric vehicle technology.

The silver, Tekna grade Nissan LEAF rolled off the production line last week and is destined for a customer in France. European-built Nissan LEAFs are currently exported to 23 global markets covering Western Europe and other destinations as diverse as Argentina, Iceland, Israel and Taiwan.

Nissan LEAF and battery manufacturing was launched in the UK in 2013 by Prime Minister David Cameron and supports over 2,000 jobs at Nissan and in its UK suppliers. And 2016 is shaping up to be a landmark year for LEAF, with the extended-range 250km LEAF introduced to Europe and the announcement that Nissan’s future generation batteries are confirmed for production in Sunderland – a further £26.5m investment in the plant.

Paul Willcox, Chairman, Nissan Europe said: “What Nissan is doing today with electric vehicle technology is more advanced than any other car manufacturer.

“This milestone is another first for Nissan and for our team in Sunderland. No other brand has Nissan’s experience or expertise in both battery and vehicle production, and I’m thrilled that over 50,000 customers in Europe share our vision for a zero-emission future.”  

Five years ago, the Nissan LEAF was the first mass-market electric vehicle to go on sale and it remains the best-selling EV of all time with almost 220,000 vehicles sold worldwide. With a new 155-mile range Nissan LEAF 30 kWh on sale across Europe, Nissan is pioneering affordable, all-electric technology for the mass-market.

Having introduced electric vehicle production to Europe with LEAF in 2013, Nissan launched a second EV into Europe in 2014 when the e-NV200 van went into production in the Nissan’s Barcelona plant in Spain – powered by the same European-built advanced lithium-ion batteries as the LEAF.

Today, Nissan is the first manufacturer to look beyond the car and into the future with its pioneering Nissan-developed technologies - turning the LEAF into a fuel station for your house or workplace and a mobile power unit that makes Nissan customers money.

UK Transport Minister,  Andrew Jones said: “This major milestone is great news for Nissan and yet another example of Britain leading the way in developing cleaner vehicle technology, which is good for the environment and supports jobs and growth. Our goal is for nearly every car to be zero emission by 2050 and we are investing £600 million in electric vehicles to make this a reality.”

Launched in Europe earlier this year, the new Nissan LEAF 30kWh goes 25 percent further than the previous model, delivering up to 155-miles of driving range on a single charge, beating all of its competitors within the segment.