• Mazda partnered with sneaker maker Spingle for new driving shoes.
  • The SP-MZD sneakers are available exclusively through Japanese retailers.
  • Buyers can choose between Sport Tan/Black or a stealthier all-black finish.

File this under things nobody asked for. Mazda has gotten into the sneaker business, teaming up with a Japanese footwear house for the latest version of its SP-MZD. The shoes are a Japan-only affair, aimed at the kind of buyer who wants to wear the brand to the supermarket as readily as drive it home from one.

The collaboration is with Spingle, a sneaker maker based, like Mazda, in Hiroshima. Two colorways are on offer: Sport Tan/Black and an all-black version. The kangaroo leather on the shoe wears the same Sport Tan shade found inside the new CX-5, paired with suede so the shoe actually flexes the way a shoe should.

Read: Porsche And Puma Celebrate 60 Years Of 911 With Two Limited Edition Sneakers

Mazda first attempt at this was last year’s SP-MX5 driving shoe, which came in a louder spread of colors that included red, white, and blue. The new SP-MZD takes a more restrained approach, and the toned-down palette should pull in buyers who passed on the original. Seven unisex sizes are on offer, and each pair arrives in a distinct box stamped with a sketch of the shoe.

Mazda Found A Way To Sell The CX-5’s Sport Tan Shade Without The Car
Mazda Found A Way To Sell The CX-5’s Sport Tan Shade Without The Car
Mazda Found A Way To Sell The CX-5’s Sport Tan Shade Without The Car
Mazda Found A Way To Sell The CX-5’s Sport Tan Shade Without The Car
Mazda Found A Way To Sell The CX-5’s Sport Tan Shade Without The Car
Mazda Found A Way To Sell The CX-5’s Sport Tan Shade Without The Car
Mazda Found A Way To Sell The CX-5’s Sport Tan Shade Without The Car
Mazda Found A Way To Sell The CX-5’s Sport Tan Shade Without The Car
Mazda Found A Way To Sell The CX-5’s Sport Tan Shade Without The Car
Mazda Found A Way To Sell The CX-5’s Sport Tan Shade Without The Car
Mazda Found A Way To Sell The CX-5’s Sport Tan Shade Without The Car
Mazda Found A Way To Sell The CX-5’s Sport Tan Shade Without The Car

The company says it spent two years working alongside Spingle on the project, with teams from each side visiting the other’s factory along the way. Every pair is built in Hiroshima and sold through Mazda’s and Spingle’s online stores, plus 14 Spingle retail locations across Japan. Both the Sport Tan/Black and the all-black version are priced at 26,500 yen, or about $166.

There’s no word on whether these shoes will be available in other markets, but it appears unlikely. However, plenty of shoes created in partnership with other car manufacturers remain available, including BMW-branded driving ones from Puma. If you’re really desperate, perhaps you could cut out a stencil of the Mazda logo and spray paint it on a pair of old Adidas you have lying around.

Mazda Found A Way To Sell The CX-5’s Sport Tan Shade Without The Car
Mazda Found A Way To Sell The CX-5’s Sport Tan Shade Without The Car
Mazda Found A Way To Sell The CX-5’s Sport Tan Shade Without The Car
Mazda Found A Way To Sell The CX-5’s Sport Tan Shade Without The Car
Mazda Found A Way To Sell The CX-5’s Sport Tan Shade Without The Car
Mazda Found A Way To Sell The CX-5’s Sport Tan Shade Without The Car
Mazda Found A Way To Sell The CX-5’s Sport Tan Shade Without The Car
Mazda Found A Way To Sell The CX-5’s Sport Tan Shade Without The Car
Mazda Found A Way To Sell The CX-5’s Sport Tan Shade Without The Car
Mazda Found A Way To Sell The CX-5’s Sport Tan Shade Without The Car