Mazda History

[mts]

A blast of our past

 

What's in a name?

The name Mazda stems from Ahura Mazda, the highest Zoroastrian God of reason who granted wisdom and united man, nature and the other gods.

 

It also closely resembles the sound of the company founder's name, Mr Jujiro Matsuda. He started the company in 1920 as Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd. In 2006 we celebrate 75 years of automobile production.

 

 

Early vehicles

Manufacture of machine tools started in 1929, shortly followed by a three-wheel truck, the Mazdago, in 1931.

 

Our first car, the Mazda R360 Coupe two-door passenger vehicle, came out in 1960, with the four-door Mazda Carol appearing in 1962. The next year, cumulative automobile production topped one million.

 

 

Tradition of innovation

Our first rotary engine vehicle, the Mazda Cosmo Sports 110S, was launched in 1967. Other notable cars that helped establish our reputation include the 1977 introductions of the Mazda Familia (323) and Mazda Capella (626).

 

Our sports car heritage was firmly established by the Mazda RX-7 (1978) and consolidated by the world's best selling roadster, the Mazda MX-5, first launched in 1989.

 

 

Engine technology

We've been at the forefront of engine development since 1961, when we first began technical co-operation with the German company NSU/Wankel on rotary engines.

 

The latest breakthrough is the new RENESIS engines, that powers the Mazda RX-8.

 

 

Nineties successes

We were very proud to win the Le Mans 24-Hour race with the Mazda 787B in 1991. It was the first victory for any Japanese car manufacturer and the only victory for a rotary engine.

 

The prototype of the Xedos 9 made great waves at the 1993 Frankfurt Motor Show. We brought in Mazda Digital Innovation in 1996, incorporating cutting edge technology. The new century has seen our 35 millionth car roll off the production line.

 

 

A stable partnership

The company first forged a partnership with Ford in 1969, forming an automatic transmission manufacturing joint venture. Ten years later, Ford acquired a 25% stake in Mazda, and the relationship has developed strongly ever since - AAI, the companies' joint US venture has made well over 2 million vehicles since 1992.