Mazda finished the 1980s the same way as the 1970s, with an image-building sports car. The Miata was another halo car for the company, kicking off an industry boom in the sports car segment. The third-generation RX-7, introduced in 1993, was much liked, but few were sold, causing an end of the model's importation just three years later. In early 1992 Mazda planned to release a luxury marque, Amati, to challenge Acura, Infiniti, and Lexus in North America, which was to begin selling in late 1993. The initial Amati range would have included the Amati 300 (which became the (Eunos 500/Xedos 6) in Japan and Europe), the Amati 500 (which became the Eunos 800 in Japan and Australia, Mazda Millenia in the U.S., and Mazda Xedos 9 in Europe) and a luxury sports coupe based on the Mazda Cosmo. Due to the recession of the early 1990s and the effects of the collapse of the Japanese asset price bubble, Amati was cancelled.
