History of the Mazda automobile brand
Automotive brand stories

History of the Mazda automobile brand

The Japanese company Mazda was founded in 1920 by Jujiro Matsudo in Hiroshima. The occupation is diverse, as the company specializes in the production of cars, trucks, buses and minibuses. At that time, the automotive industry had nothing to do with the company. Matsudo purchased Abemaki, which was on the verge of bankruptcy, and became its president. The company was renamed Toyo Cork Kogyo. The main activity of Abemaki was the production of cork wood building materials. Having enriched himself a little financially, Matsudo decided to change the status of the company to an industrial one. This is even evidenced by a change in the name of the company, from which the word “cork” was removed, which means “cork”. Thus witnessing the transition from cork wood products to industrial products like motorcycles and machine tools.

In 1930, one of the motorcycles produced by the company won the race.

In 1931 the production of automobiles was started. At that time, the projected cars of the company differed from modern ones, one of the features was that they were produced with three wheels. These were a kind of cargo scooters with a small engine volume. At that time, the demand for them was considerable, since there was a great need. About 200 thousand of such models were produced for almost 25 years.

It was then that the word “Mazda” was proposed to denote an automobile brand, which comes from the ancient god of mind and harmony.

During World War II, many of these three-wheeled vehicles were produced for the Japanese army.

History of the Mazda automobile brand

The atomic bombing of Hiroshima destroyed more than half of the manufacturing plant. But soon the company resumed production after an active recovery.

After the death of Jujiro Matsudo in 1952, his son Tenuji Matsudo took over as president of the company.

In 1958, the company's first four-wheeled commercial vehicle was introduced, and in 1960 the production of passenger cars began.

After launching the production of passenger cars, the company decided to pay great attention to the process of modernizing rotary engines. The first passenger car with this type of engine was introduced in 1967.

Due to the development of new production facilities, the company suffered a financial blow and a quarter of the shares were acquired by Ford. In turn, Mazda gained access to Ford's technological developments and thereby laid the foundation for a generation of future Mazda models.

In 1968 and 1970 Mazda entered the US and Canadian markets.

History of the Mazda automobile brand

A breakthrough in international markets was the Mazda Famillia, already from the name itself it follows that this car is a family type. This car has gained popularity not only in Japan, but also outside the country.

In 1981, the company became one of the largest in Japan in the automotive industry, entering the US car market. In the same year, the Capella model is the best imported car.

The company bought 8% of the shares from Kia Motor and changed its name to Mazda Motor Corporation.

In 1989, the MX5 convertible was released, which became the most popular car of the company.

In 1991, the company won the famous Le Mans race thanks to its increased focus on improving rotary powertrains.

1993 is famous for the company's entry into the Philippines market.

After the Japanese economic crisis, in 1995, Ford expanded its stake to 35%, which in turn played a total control over Mazda production. This created a platform identity for both brands.

The year 1994 was characterized by the adoption of the Global Environmental Charter, the task of which was to develop a catalyst that was endowed with a neutralizing effect. The recovery of oil from different types of plastic is the goal of the Charter, and factories in Japan and Germany were opened to achieve it.

In 1995, according to the number of cars produced by the company, it was counted about 30 million, 10 of which belong to the Familia model.

After 1996, the company launched the MDI system, the purpose of which was to create information technology to update all stages of production.

The company was awarded the ISO 9001 certificate.

History of the Mazda automobile brand

In 2000, Mazda made a breakthrough in marketing by being the first car company to implement a customer feedback system over the Internet, which had a very positive impact on further production.

According to 2006 statistics, the production of cars and trucks rose by almost 9% compared to previous years.

The company continues its development further. To this day, continues to cooperate with Ford. The company has branches in 21 countries, and its products are exported to 120 countries. 

Founder

Jujiro Matsudo was born on August 8, 1875 in Hiroshima to the family of a fisherman. A great industrialist, inventor and businessman. Since childhood, he began to think about his own business. At the age of 14 he studied blacksmithing in Osaka, and in 1906 the pump became his invention.

Then he gets a job at a foundry as a simple apprentice, who soon becomes the manager of the same plant, changing the vector of production to pumps of his own design. Then he was removed from office and opened his own factory for armed specialization, which produced rifles for the Japanese army.

At that time, he was a wealthy independent person, which allowed him to buy out a bankrupt plant in Hiroshima for balsa wood products. Soon, production from cork became irrelevant and Matsudo focused on making cars.

After the explosion of the atomic bomb over Kheroshima, the plant suffered significant destruction. But it was soon restored. Matsudo took an active part in the restoration of the city's economy at all military stages.

Initially the company specialized in the production of motorcycles, but later changed the spectrum to automobiles.

In 1931, the dawn of the passenger car company begins.

During the company's economic crisis, a quarter of the shares were bought by Ford. After a while, this union contributed to the alienation of a colossal stake in Matsudo and the reincarnation of Toyo Kogyo into Mazda Motor Corporation in 1984.

Matsudo passed away at the age of 76 in 1952. He made a great contribution to the automotive industry.

Emblem

History of the Mazda automobile brand

The Mazda emblem has a long history. The badge had a different shape in different years. 

The first logo appeared in 1934 and adorned the first brainchild of the company - three-wheeled trucks.

In 1936 a new emblem was introduced. It was a line that made a bend in the middle, which is the letter M. Already in this version, the idea of ​​wings was born, which in turn is a sign of speed, conquest of height.

Before the release of a new batch of passenger cars in 1962, the emblem looked like a two-lane highway with lines that diverge.

In 1975 it was decided to remove the emblem. But until a new one was invented, there was simply a replacement for a logo with the word Mazda.

In 1991, a new emblem was recreated, symbolizing the sun. Many found similarities with the Renault emblem, and the emblem was changed in 1994 by rounding off the "diamond" that is inside the circle. The new version carried the idea of ​​wings.

In 1997 to this day, an emblem with a stylized M in the form of a seagull appeared, which very well elevates the original idea of ​​the wings.

History of the Mazda automobile brand

In 1958, the first four-wheeled Romper model appeared with a two-cylinder engine created by the company, producing 35 horsepower.

History of the Mazda automobile brand

As mentioned above, the dawn in the automotive industry of the company began in the 1960s. After the release of three-wheeled cargo scooters, the first model to become famous was the R360. The main advantage, distinguishing it from the original models, was that it was equipped with a 2-cylinder engine and a volume of 356 cc. It was a two-door model of an urban type of budget option.

1961 was the year of the B-series 1500 with a pickup truck equipped with a 15-liter water-cooled power unit.

In 1962, Mazda Carol was produced in two variations: two-door and four. It went down in history as one of the cars with a small 4-cylinder engine. At that time, the car looked extremely expensive and was in great demand.

History of the Mazda automobile brand

1964 was the release of the Mazda Familia family car. This model was exported to New Zealand and also to the European market.

1967 Maza Cosmo Sport 110S debuted, based on a rotary power unit developed by the company. The low, streamlined body created a modernist car design. Demand in the European market has skyrocketed after this rotary engine was tested in an 84 hour marathon in Europe.

In the following years, models with rotary engines were widely produced. About one hundred thousand models were produced based on this engine.

A couple of redesigned Familia versions have been released such as the Rotary Coupe R100, Rotary SSSedsn R100.

History of the Mazda automobile brand

In 1971, the Savanna RX3 was released, and a year later, the largest rear-wheel drive sedan, the Luce, also known as the RX4, in which the engine was located at the front. The latest model was available in different body styles: station wagon, sedan and coupe.

After 1979, a new redesigned model from the Familia range, the RX7, became the strongest of all Familia models. She took acceleration to 200 km / h with a power unit of 105 hp. In the process of modernizing this model, most of the changes in the engine, in 1985 the RX7 version was produced with a 185 power unit. This model became the import car of the year, earning this title with a record speed in Bonneville, accelerating to 323,794 km / h. The improvement of the same model in the new version continued from 1991 to 2002.

In 1989, the stylish budget two-seater MX5 was introduced. The aluminum body and low weight, a 1,6 liter engine, anti-roll bars and independent suspension showed great interest from the buyer. The model was constantly modernized and there were four generations, the last one saw the world in 2014.

The fourth generation of the Demio family car (or Mazda2) received the title of Car of the Year. The first model was released in 1995.

History of the Mazda automobile brand

In 1991, the Sentia 929 luxury sedan was released.

Two models Premacy and Tribute were produced in 1999.

After the company's entry into e-commerce, in 2001 there was the presentation of the Atenza model and the unfinished development of the RX8 with a rotary power unit. It was this Renesis engine that received the title of Engine of the Year.

At this stage, the company specializes in the production of passenger cars and sports cars. The priority is aimed more at the small and middle class, having thrown off the production of the luxury class for a while.

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