
Presented on behalf of WMW by Her Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant for Gwynedd, His Honour Huw Morgan Daniel. The Tom Pryce Trophy went to the Real Car Co., Bethesda and Automotive Achievement Award to Mazda Motors UK Ltd.
Later that day, at WMW’s annual dinner, the awards were commended and recipients congratulated by the Group’s special guest, David I Jones MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales.
“Surprise and delight were the first reactions to news of the award” said Ray Arnold. “We started with just one car - Ian and I tell people it’s a ‘hobby’ which ‘got out of control’!”
Twenty years too has seen Mazda’s MX-5 achieve cult status in Europe and around the world. The definitive affordable sports car, its rear wheel drive layout and dynamic ability put it at the top of its segment in every market.
But this is not Mazda’s only anniversary. It is 90 years since the founding of the company and 50 years since its first motor car. Next year will also see 50 years of ground-breaking work on the rotary combustion engine epitomised by the RX sports coupe.
Mazda’s technical and production prowess continues with its SKYACTIV powertrain and lightweight body architecture, development of a new generation of rotary engines and hydrogen power.
Mazda UK managing director Jeremy Thomson added: “We are truly delighted that Mazda has been awarded the Welsh Motoring Writers Automotive Achievement Award.
"This award is further confirmation of Mazda’s innovative spirit and willingness to try new things, which has led to the creation of some remarkable automotive technologies benefitting millions of Mazda motorists.
"In the future Mazda continues to use the unique innovative Mazda engineering spirit that will deliver superior eco-friendliness without sacrificing the sporty driving fun for which the Mazda brand is so well known.”
WMW chairman Huw Thomas said: “This was a wonderful way to celebrate past and present, ‘ancient and modern’. From renovated buildings at an old slate mine, Real Car Co has built a pre-eminent reputation as a dealer in the greatest of all classic cars. Mazda has a formidable legacy too but is blazing a trail in contemporary automotive engineering. We are delighted to award it our inaugural award for Automotive Achievement”.