10 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Mazda
December 29, 2020
Mazda Motor Corporation, or simply, Mazda, is a multinational automaker based in Japan. Mazda started in 1920 in Hiroshima, Japan as The Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., which was a cork Manufacturing Company... That's right, Corks. So how did a company with such humble beginnings, grow to become a top contender in the automotive industry? Pure brilliance and a thirst for innovation propelled Mazda to become the multi-international conglomerate it is today. Mazda currently operates in more than 130 countries around the world. As of 2019, Mazda produced around 1.4 million vehicles that include micro and mini vehicles, SUVs, crossovers, OEM Mazda parts, and commercial vehicles.
1. The Mazda-Go
In 1931, Toyo Kogyo entered the automotive industry by introducing the Mazda-Go 3-wheeler auto-rickshaw, which went on to become one of the companies most popular and successful vehicles. The company relished the success of their new tricycle truck however production was impeded during the second world war, as Toyo Kogyo temporarily focused on producing weapons, for the Japanese military.
Mazda-GO (1935 TCS Type) After the War, The success of the Mazda Go, Influenced the production of an entire range of three-wheeled Mazda, Trucks.
2. The Origin Of the Mazda Name
The name Mazda was adopted by the corporation in 1984." Mazda" comes from Ahura Mazda, the God of Harmony, intelligence, and Wisdom. At the time, Members of the Toyo Kogyo perceived Mazda as a representation of the automotive civilization and culture as a whole. The new name served to better communicate Mazda's business objectives while simultaneously paying respect to the substantial founder of the company, whose name just happens to be pronounced very close to "Mazda". As they say, the rest is history. Under the new moniker, Mazda began to produce vehicles that would revolutionize the way we drive.
3. The Mazda MX-5
The name change, also gave rise to the development of the Mazda MX-5 Miata, a lightweight piston-powered sports car. This was later sold as the Eunos and then as the Mazda Roadster. The Roadster was introduced in 1989 and has been credited with reviving the concept of a small sports car. In 2000, the Mazda MX-5 Miata entered the Guinness Book of World Records as the best-selling 2-seater sports car.
4. Partnership with Ford
From 1974 till 2015, Mazda was in a long-standing partnership with the Ford Motor Company. In 1979, Ford acquired a 24.5% stake in Mazda and, in May 1995, increased it to a 33.4% ownership. In 1991, Mazda helped develop the Ford Explorer. Mazda's Own version of the Ford Explorer. The Mazda Navajo was sold by Mazda from 1991 to 1994. The Navajo was almost identical to the Ford Explorer aside from, a few, design details.
5. Partnership with Toyota
In May 2015, Mazda entered into an agreement with Toyota for a long-term partnership. In this, among other things, Mazda delivers fuel-efficient SkyActiv gasoline and diesel engine technology to Toyota in exchange for hydrogen fuel cell systems.
6. Mazda & The Miller Cycle Engine
Mazda had a long fascination for alternative engine technology. As a result, in 1995, Mazda introduced the first Miller cycle engine for automotive use in the Millenia luxury sedan. Even though the Millenia, and the Miller-type V6 engine, were discontinued in 2002, Mazda introduced a smaller Miller-cycle 4-cylinder engine that was used in the Demio from 2008. Also, Mazda, with its leadership position in Wankel technology, is the only automaker to have used a Miller-cycle engine in the automotive domain.
2002 Mazda's Millenia Luxury Vehicle 7. The Mazda 3
2002In 2019, the Mazda 3 became Mazda's fastest-selling Vehicle with cumulative sales of over 6 million units. The First version of the Mazda 3 was Known as the "Alexa" and launched in Japan in October of 2003.
8. Mazda's Commitment to the Environment
Mazda is focused on becoming environmentally friendly by finding alternative uses for various materials and other substances such as plastic and milk, for use in its vehicles. As part of this, Mazda introduced bioplastic internal consoles and bio-fabric seats in its Mazda5 model. Mazda was successful in using non-bio material components to make up to 30% of the interior parts of the vehicle.
9. From Cork Factory to the Fifth Largest Automaker Worldwide
In 2015, Mazda produced 1.5 million vehicles for global sales. Most of these, close to one million, were manufactured in the company's Japanese plants. In 2015, Mazda was the fifteenth largest automaker by production worldwide.
10. Zoom-Zoom
The Zoom-Zoom campaign has been associated with the "Zoom-Zoom-Zoom" song in many advertisements across television and radio. The original version was performed by Jibril Serapis Bey and was recorded long before it became the official song for Mazda. Since 2011, Mazda has been using the Zoom-Zoom tagline in one of its campaign called "What Do You Drive?".
In addition, Mazda has always been associated with racing sports. This association grew all the more after the Wankel rotary engine was developed, as this technology gave Mazda the much-needed boost among its competitors. Even today, Mazda sponsors many sports teams around the world. So, if you ever dream of working for Mazda, you will have a huge advantage if you are passionate about motorsports or any sports for that matter.
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