A couple of years ago I was a Mazda sponsored Miata event. Someone asked why there were so few color choices for the new Miata. The answer from a retired Mazda person was that most Mazda plants are set up to build several different models for multiple markets on the same assembly line. Factory painting robots typically had the capacity to do 8 to 10 unique colors for all the different models for all the different markets. One would always be white because it is the most popular color in Japan. By the time the product planners, decided what colors combinations to offer in what markets, you often ended up with lower volume cars like the Miata having only a small number of specific paint colors available at the factory.
I could have misunderstood something and I don't know if this has anything to do with Mazda's decision to offer the "Sport" CX-5 in three colors. Given the low volume of manuals sold in the US, I wonder is the product planners looked at the color pallet for for markets (like Europe) where more manuals are sold and chose 3 they thought Americans would buy.
