Could anyone hazard a guess as to what percentage of MX-5 Mk 1-3 we’re produced with automatic gearboxes?
<7.2%
Thanks for the info
This from chat gpt though I’m not convinced as the number seems too high…
There’s no single official figure published by Mazda for the total percentage of all Mazda MX-5 (Miata) roadsters ever produced that came with automatic gearboxes across every generation (NA, NB, NC, ND). However, based on available sales and take-rate data from various sources over the years, we can estimate broad trends:
Estimated Automatic vs Manual Production/Take-Rate
General take-rate data from various markets and model years:
• Older generations (e.g., early NA): automatics were very rare — likely well under 5% of original NA production were automatics. 
• 2018–2019 (soft-top Miata): Mazda reported about 24% of soft-top Miatas sold with automatic transmissions (76% manual) in that period. 
• RF / hard-top variants in that same period: closer to 48% automatic for RF sales during July 2018–April 2019. 
• 2020–2021 (US national sales): autos hovered around 41.8%–48% of sales in those model years. 
• Recent trends (2023–2024): industry estimates suggest roughly 30%–40% of MX-5/Miata buyers take an automatic (meaning 60%–70% manual), largely influenced by trim availability and market. 
Approximate Overall Percentage
While we cannot precisely calculate total production splits without Mazda’s internal data, a reasonable ballpark estimate based on sample sales figures is:
~30%–40% of MX-5/Miata units produced historically have had an automatic gearbox, with the remainder being manuals.
This is a rough aggregate across generations and markets — individual years and regions vary widely (e.g., some markets like Europe have very few automatics compared to the US). Recent ND-generation take-rates tend toward a higher share of manuals, which could pull the long-term average below 40%. 
Key Caveats
• Regional variation: In some markets (especially Europe), manuals are far more common; in others (especially North America), automatics can approach or exceed 40–50% in specific model years. 
• Generation differences: Earlier generations (NA/NB) skew manual heavily; later ND cars show more automatic take-up in some trims, but this still doesn’t fully balance the manual majority overall. 
• Production ≠ sales: “Produced” and “sold” figures may differ slightly, but sales take rates are a useful proxy for how many automatics were built.
Even here in the states Automatic MX5s are rare….but I imagine much more common than over there, if I had to make a guess here in the US about 10% are automatics…for older NA and NB models at least.