The Miata Is Beating an Entire Car Brand - Here’s How

The Mazda MX-5 Miata, the slowest-selling car in Mazda’s lineup, has managed to outsell every single model Alfa Romeo offers in the United States combined. That’s right: a two-seat roadster with less than five cubic feet of cargo space is trouncing a brand that sells sedans and SUVs.

So far this year, Mazda has moved 5,010 Miatas. Alfa Romeo’s entire lineup, the Giulia, Stelvio, and Tonale, has found just 1,747 buyers.

It’s not about price, either. The Miata RF starts at $39,685, and Alfa’s cheapest model, the Tonale, begins at $40,745. But the Miata’s real advantage is reputation. For decades, Mazda’s little roadster has been praised for its reliability, affordability, and pure driving joy. Alfa Romeo, on the other hand, is still fighting ghosts from the 1990s, when its cars were known for questionable build quality.

A 2018 long-term test of the Giulia Quadrifoglio flagged “unforgivable reliability issues,” and those early impressions have stuck. Even the newer, cheaper Tonale suffers from a cheap-feeling interior and lingering quality concerns.

Alfa’s struggles are part of a bigger story. S. market has swallowed brands like Daihatsu, Peugeot, and Saturn whole. Alfa Romeo’s best year was 2018, when it sold 23,820 cars. By 2025, that number had collapsed to just 5,652, less than the Miata alone. The brand is now fast-tracking redesigned models on Stellantis’ new STLA One platform, with hybrid powertrains and a replacement for the Tonale in the works.

But whether those changes can revive interest in time remains an open question. For now, a niche sports car with 181 horsepower is outselling an entire Italian brand.