September 22, 2025

Tom Matano, Creator Of The Mazda MX-5 Has Died

By Rob Harvey

Tsutomu “Tom” Matano, the automotive designer best known for creating the original Mazda MX‑5 Miata, sadly died on 20th September 2025 at the age of 76.

Early Life and Education

Born in Nagasaki, Japan, in 1947, Matano studied engineering before moving to the United States in late 1969. In 1971, he enrolled at the Art Centre College of Design in Pasadena, California, where he perfected his skills in automotive design.

Automotive Design Career

Matano’s early career took him all over the world. After starting at General Motors in Detroit, he was transferred to the Holden division in Melbourne, Australia. He later moved to Munich to work with BMW, where he helped shape the 3 Series. After leaving Germany, he went to Irvine, California, where he joined Mazda’s North American design studio.

At Mazda, he steadily rose through the ranks, becoming Chief Designer, then Vice President of Design, Executive Vice President of Western Operations, before moving into global roles such as Executive Designer and Director from the company’s headquarters in Japan by 1999.

His Designs

Matano’s influence on Mazda’s design DNA is extremely strong. Some of his work includes:

The original MX‑5 Miata
The third-generation RX‑7
The RX‑8
He also designed more mainstream models like the Ford Escape‑based Tribute and the first Mazda6

Post Mazda Life

Matano retired from Mazda on 31st August 2002. Almost immediately, he took up a new role as Head of the Academy of Art College’s School of Industrial Design and Department of Automotive Design, a position he held for more than two decades. He also contributed to the Western Automotive Journalists community.

Even in retirement, his association with the Miata remained strong. Globally, fans continued to regard him as the “father of the Miata”, and he was affectionately known on social media as “MiataPapa.” He frequently attended Miata‑focused events around the world.

Tom Matano

Tom Matano’s work helped define an era of sports car design built around the “joy of driving”. His death marks something of an end of an era for Mazda, for the Miata community, and for automotive design in general.

Rest in peace, Tom Matano.