Who makes the Mazda Miata
The Mazda Miata, sold as the MX-5 Miata in North America, is the product of Mazda Motor Corporation, the Japanese automaker headquartered near Hiroshima. Understanding who builds the roadster matters because company ownership, factory location, and engineering lineage all shape how each model generation behaves, ages, and fits a particular trim level or market specification. The Miata has remained a lightweight, front-engine, rear-wheel-drive convertible through every generation, and that consistent powertrain configuration is part of why buyers ask about its origin before comparing model years, body styles, or used examples.
Essential answer
Mazda designs, engineers, and manufactures the Miata. It is not a captive import rebadged from another company, and it does not belong to a separate luxury or performance sub-brand. The roadster has been produced under Mazda's control since the first model generation debuted for the 1990 model year, with later generations continuing the same basic formula but updating engines, chassis rigidity, safety equipment, and interior technology to meet each era's market specification.
The vehicle is actually the Mazda MX-5 in most global markets, while Miata is the long-running North American name. Different generations changed size, styling, and available trim levels, yet the essential body style and front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout define the car. Because assembly location and supplier sourcing have varied over the decades, a specific vehicle's window sticker or VIN remains the best confirmation for that model year, but the manufacturer identity stays unmistakably Mazda.