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Mazda

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This article is about the automobile maker. For the Zoroastrian god, see Ahura Mazda.
Mazda logo
Mazda logo
Mazda Millenia luxury sedan.

Mazda Motor Corporation is an automobile maker based in Hiroshima, Japan.

History

Mazda Motors derives from the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd, founded in Japan in 1920. Toyo Kogyo moved from manufacturing machine tools to vehicles, with the introduction of the Mazda-Go in 1931. The company formally adopted the Mazda name in 1984, though every automobile sold from the beginning bore that name. The first four-wheel car, the Mazda R360 was introduced in 1960, followed by the Mazda Carol in 1962.

The Ford Motor Company has owned 25% of Mazda since 1979, and its stake was increased to a 33% controlling interest in 1992. Ford has based many of its models on Mazdas, such as the Probe, Laser, Telstar, the late model (North American) Escort and Mercury Tracer, and early model Festiva. Many new Ford models are based on Mazda designs and components as well, including the co-developed Escape/Mazda Tribute.

1960s

The year 1960 was the birth of Mazda as an automaker. In just this decade, the marque progressed from a 16hp minicar to a rotary engined sports car, the Mazda Cosmo. Mazda also entered the United States market at the end of the decade.

1970s

The 1970s were the heyday of Mazda as a performance leader. The rotary engines found in many Mazda models outperformed their piston-based competitors by a large margin, and Mazda made the most of the powerplant by putting it in almost every product they sold, from the Rotary Pickup to the RX-7, and even the large Luce sedan. The energy crisis and environmental regulations of the decade slowed the acceptance of the rotary somewhat, however.

1980s

The 1980s saw Mazda transition from a niche Japanese player to a part of the global Ford empire. Mazda dropped the rotary engine from all but the RX-7 in the US market, and contributed to Ford's lineup, most notably with the Probe/MX-6. Mazda also began building the 626 in the United States. U.S. production was initiated via a joint venture with Ford called AutoAlliance International.

Mazda finished the decade with the revolutionary Miata/MX-5 sports car. This model revitalized the world sports car market, which was filled at the time with expensive, heavy GT cars. The Miata was designed to be light, cheap, and nimble.

1990s

The 1990s were a decade of decline for Mazda. The third-generation RX-7 sold poorly, and the Miata could not sustain the company's sales. The rest of the lineup was poorly-received in the United States, from the anonymous 626 to the overpriced 323.

In Japan, Mazda embarked on a disastrous attempt to diversify its brand names, launching no fewer than 5 different brands and assigning its best cars, including the Cosmo, RX-7, and MX-5 to other nameplates. These nameplates were phased out late in the decade.

2000s

The 21st century started out better for Mazda. After a decade of anonymous products, the company launched the excellent Mazda 6/Atenza, relaunched the rotary engine with the RX-8, and captured the heart of the small car market with the Mazda3. By 2004, Mazda had surpassed the ailing Mitsubishi in sales.

Trivia

Mazda had the distinction of having the first foreign CEO to head a Japanese car company, former Ford Motor Company CFO, Scottish-born Henry Wallace in 1996. Many Japanese media outlets at the time reacted in shock and horror, and wondered if Ford would cut jobs. He was followed by Ford President James Miller in 1997, and Mark Fields in 1999 until 2001, when he was tapped to lead Ford's Premier Automotive Group and handed the reins to Lewis Booth. Lewis Booth went back to Ford in 2003 and Mazda Director Hidekazu Imaki is now CEO.

There have been many stories about how it got its name. Some say it got its name from the Zoroastrian deity Ahura Mazda, while others say it was an anglicized pronunciation of the founder's name, Jujiro Matsuda. The most likely reason was that the name Mazda coincided with founder Matsuda's last name, who was known for his interest in spiritual matters, and may have chosen Mazda in honor of the Zoroastrians, and his own name. Occam's razor leads one to believe that the company name comes from the founder's name.

Mazda Vehicles

This is a list of Mazda models. Most Mazda vehicles have a different name for the Japan home market than is used in the rest of the world. Both names are included below, though the (often more consistent) Japanese names are often primary.

Mazda has used a number of different marques in the Japan market, including Autozam, Eunos, and Efini, although they have been phased out. In the early 1990s Mazda almost created a luxury marque, Amati, to challenge Acura, Infiniti, and Lexus in North America, but this never happened, leaving the near-luxury Millenia to the Mazda brand.

Many Mazda vehicles have been rebadged and sold as Fords. Most are noted in the pages of individual vehicles.

Current sports models of Mazda's regular vehicles go by the Mazdaspeed name. Mazdaspeed is Mazda's in-house race and street car tuning arm and is highly involved in both amateur and professional motorsports.

More information is also available about Mazda engine families.

Current Lineup

This is the current (2004) Mazda automobile lineup across all markets. Vehicles not available in the United States are specially noted, though other international distinctions are not.

Historical Lineup

Pre-1960

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

See also

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