At the DC AutoShow this past week, Mazda had on display what was listed as a 2007 RX-8 Shinka 6 Speed. New color, new interior. Everything else looked the same, right down to the lack of a Nav system. The only other perceptible difference was the move of the Bose logos on the speakers.

My opinion? The color is not as nice as the Black Cherry Mica on the 05, and the Alacantra inserts on the seats was also not as nice as the buttery leather in creme color of the 05. The reps at the booth had no idea when an '06 would be appearing, if at all. They were of the mind that if they were not already rolling off the assembly line, then they would skip the 06 model year and label them as 07's to be released late in the spring.

Sorry, no photos.

 

I saw it at the LA Autoshow. The new color is amazing to me. Much better than the Black Cherry. I agree with you on the interior though. The leather does not seem to be as soft as the previous Shinkas

 

I saw the shinka and liked the new color but it needs black leather. Tan is BEAT

 

Yep, I agree. With black leather that would be sick.