Как пишется машина мазда

Краткий экскурс в правильность произношения нашей марки.

Сама компания Мазда появилась в 1920 году благодаря товарищу по имени Дзюдзиро Мацуда. Правда, тогда она называлась Toyo Cork Kogyo и даже не думала заниматься автомобилями — начинал Мацуда с производства изделий из пробкового дерева. В тридцатые годы компания переключилась на выпуск мототехники и только после войны начала собирать автомобили. Впрочем, хватит истории — уверены, вы уже и сами заметили подозрительное несоответствие: фамилия основателя — Мацуда, а марку называют «Мазда». Что-то эти два слова слишком похожи, чтобы не иметь никакой связи, но при этом слишком разные, чтобы разницу эту можно было бы объяснить нюансами передачи с одного языка на другой — по крайней мере, с точки зрения лингвистики никаких процессов, которые могли бы так исковеркать фамилию основателя при передаче на русский, просто нет. В самом деле, как это «цу» превратилось в «з»?

Сейчас разберемся, что к чему. Согласно информации в массе источников, название Mazda взято от имени древнего зороастрийского божества по имени Ахура Мазда — «Творец, пребывающий в бесконечном свете». Отдельно слово «мазда» (mazda) происходит из праиндоевропейского языка и обозначает «мудрость». Кстати, тех, кто почитает зороастризм в целом и бога Мазду в частности, называют маздеистами. Так что запомните: маздеист — это из зороастризма, с членством в клубе владельцев Mazda3 никак не связано. Так вот, якобы марку на самом деле назвали в честь этого самого божества, и это название как-то вдруг «случайно» оказалось созвучно с фамилией основателя компании.

«Название Mazda родилось вместе с началом производства первых экземпляров трехколесной техники, которую выпускала компания. Было решено назвать модель в честь основателя компании, Дзюдзиро Мацуды. Кроме того, такое название созвучно с именем Ахуры Мазды — «Бога Света». Оно должно было символически осветить и сделать более ярким образ нашей компактной мототехники.»
***Из пресс-материалов официального сайта Mazda

Обратите внимание, что в пресс-материалах Mazda.com название Mazda привязано не к марке, а к отдельной модели — моторикше 1931 года выпуска. Ошибки здесь нет: с юридической точки зрения автомобильная марка стала называться «Маздой» аж в 1984 году, хотя до того времени так назывались производимые ей автомобили.

«Не хочется подвергать сомнению поэтичность и кругозор руководства автоконцерна, но, на мой взгляд, за всей этой историей стоит банальный рационализм. Дело в том, что в Японии «Мазда» — это на самом деле «Мацуда» (マツダ, Matsuda) — никакой поэтичности, просто фамилия основателя, как это зачастую и бывает. Пишется слово японской слоговой азбукой катакана, предназначенной главным образом для передачи заимствованной лексики, однако часто использующейся также для написания названий растений, животных и брендов. Так что, скорее всего, дело здесь в том, что для европейской публики Matsuda — название не самое благозвучное. Куда более выгодным, «резким» и «спортивным» (не забываем про дух Zoom-Zoom) выглядит Mazda.»
***Алексей Заврачаев, корреспондент ТАСС в Японии

Вот такая получается интересная история! Другими словами, весь мир, когда произносит название марки, говорит одно, а сами японцы — совсем другое! Мы, по сути, произносим имя божества, а японцы — фамилию основателя. Вот вам еще одно доказательство: посмотрите, как пишутся все эти слова в японском языке. Название марки Mazda и фамилию Мацуда японцы пишут вот так: マツダ. А имя божества Мазда японцы пишут вот так: マズダ. Пожалуй, тут не нужно быть профессиональным японистом, чтобы заметить разницу в написании. Наконец, вот уже знакомый видеоролик, на котором очаровательная японская девушка произносит названия брендов на японский манер.

Мотайте примерно на четырнадцатую секунду:

взято auto.vesti.ru/

Изучив историю названия марки Mazda, мы невольно вспомнили поговорку про тихий омут и чертей. Безобидное и понятное название, оказалось, скрывает настоящий заговор маркетологов! Нам снова пришлось провести полноценное расследование, в ходе которого на пути повстречались… древние маздеисты.

Случай у нас сегодня интересный и немного нестандартный. Дело в том, что слово Mazda все произносят правильно — да тут и вариантов-то особых нет. Чтобы ошибиться в ударении, это еще постараться надо, а по части согласных все вроде просто и прозрачно — никаких тебе сложных буквосочетаний, мук выбора между «-ши» и «-си», как в случае с Mitsubishi. И нам бы жилось спокойно, не знай мы фамилию основателя компании.

А фамилия эта — Мацуда.

Сама компания появилась в 1920 году благодаря товарищу по имени Дзюдзиро Мацуда. Правда, тогда она называлась Toyo Cork Kogyo и даже не думала заниматься автомобилями — начинал товарищ Мацуда с производства изделий из пробкового дерева. В тридцатые годы компания переключилась на выпуск мототехники и только после войны начала собирать автомобили. Впрочем, хватит истории — уверены, вы уже и сами заметили подозрительное несоответствие: фамилия основателя — Мацуда, а марку называют «Мазда». Что-то эти два слова слишком похожи, чтобы не иметь никакой связи, но при этом слишком разные, чтобы разницу эту можно было бы объяснить нюансами передачи с одного языка на другой — по крайней мере, с точки зрения лингвистики никаких процессов, которые могли бы так исковеркать фамилию основателя при передаче на русский, просто нет.

В самом деле, как это «цу» превратилось в «з»?

Сейчас разберемся, что к чему. Согласно информации в массе источников, название Mazda взято от имени древнего зороастрийского божества по имени Ахура Мазда — «Творец, пребывающий в бесконечном свете». Отдельно слово «мазда» (mazda) происходит из праиндоевропейского языка и обозначает «мудрость». Кстати, тех, кто почитает зороастризм в целом и бога Мазду в частности, называют маздеистами. Так что запомните: маздеист — это из зороастризма, с членством в клубе владельцев Mazda3 никак не связано. Так вот, якобы марку на самом деле назвали в честь этого самого божества, и это название как-то вдруг «случайно» оказалось созвучно с фамилией основателя компании.

Информация на официальном глобальном сайте Mazda подается более правдоподобно — по крайней мере, в изложении компании приоритеты стоят иначе, делая версию более логичной.

Название Mazda родилось вместе с началом производства первых экземпляров трехколесной техники, которую выпускала компания. Было решено назвать модель в честь основателя компании, Дзюдзиро Мацуды. Кроме того, такое название созвучно с именем Ахуры Мазды — «Бога Света». Оно должно было символически осветить и сделать более ярким образ нашей компактной мототехники.

Из пресс-материалов официального сайта Mazda

<

Посмотрите, какая красавица! У Mazda в последнее время с дизайном дела обстоят весьма многообещающе. А теперь представьте, что эта машина называется «Мацуда»… Что-то вот не то, правда?

Обратите внимание, что в пресс-материалах Mazda.com название Mazda привязано не к марке, а к отдельной модели — моторикше 1931 года выпуска. Ошибки здесь нет: с юридической точки зрения автомобильная марка стала называться «Маздой» аж в 1984 году, хотя до того времени так назывались производимые ей автомобили.

Казалось бы, разобрались, верно? Подумаешь, немного «перебили» фамилию основателя именем божества — получилась красивая легенда, название запоминается легко, звучит красиво и емко. В общем, маркетологи поработали на славу. И можно было бы на этом расходиться, вот только… кое-кто упорно путает все карты в колоде. А именно — сами японцы. Потому что когда они пишут и произносят название марки «Мазда», они пишут и произносят как-раз таки фамилию основателя, «Мацуда» (или Matsuda по системе уже знакомого нам Хэпберна)!

Кажется, пришла пора призвать на помощь нашего эксперта, корреспондента ТАСС Алексея Заврачаева.

Не хочется подвергать сомнению поэтичность и кругозор руководства автоконцерна, но, на мой взгляд, за всей этой историей стоит банальный рационализм. Дело в том, что в Японии «Мазда» — это на самом деле «Мацуда» (マツダ, Matsuda) — никакой поэтичности, просто фамилия основателя, как это зачастую и бывает. Пишется слово японской слоговой азбукой катакана, предназначенной главным образом для передачи заимствованной лексики, однако часто использующейся также для написания названий растений, животных и брендов. Так что, скорее всего, дело здесь в том, что для европейской публики Matsuda — название не самое благозвучное. Куда более выгодным, «резким» и «спортивным» (не забываем про дух Zoom-Zoom) выглядит Mazda.

Алексей Заврачаев, корреспондент ТАСС в Японии

Вот такая получается интересная история! Другими словами, весь мир, когда произносит название марки, говорит одно, а сами японцы — совсем другое! Мы, по сути, произносим имя божества, а японцы — фамилию основателя. Вот вам еще одно доказательство: посмотрите, как пишутся все эти слова в японском языке. Название марки Mazda и фамилию Мацуда японцы пишут вот так: マツダ. А имя божества Мазда японцы пишут вот так: マズダ. Пожалуй, тут не нужно быть профессиональным японистом, чтобы заметить разницу в написании.

Получается, правильно говорить «Мацуда»? Что можем сказать… коварны и хитры были маркетологи Mazda в тридцатые годы! Оставили себе лазейку. Очевидно, что компанию назвали в честь ее основателя — это правильно и логично, так что вариант «Мацуда» был бы вполне приемлем. Однако зороастрийский бог явно с такой позицией не согласится: по воле маркетологов, во всем мире кроме Японии сложилось так, что именно товарищ Ахура Мазда поделился своим именем с автомобильной маркой. Такую историю происхождения имени культивировали, развивали, продвигали на международном рынке вместе с самими автомобилями. Так что «Мазда» — вполне правильный и корректный вариант.

[источники]
источники
http://auto.vesti.ru/news/show/news_id/663406/

И еще немного интересной автомобильной тематики: давайте вспомним, Что такое Гиробусы и что это за Секретный МАЗ из проекта «Целина». Вот вечный спор — Механика или автомат?. Были кстати, вот такие Необычные грузовики с очень низкой кабиной и вот так выглядел Советский автомобильный самострой. Кто видел вот такой ГАЗ-3105 «Волга» и Концепт Chevrolet Ultimus опередивший свое время

Search By Model

2016 Current Models

Subcompact Car

Mazda2

Compact Car

Mazda3

Mid-Size Car

Mazda6

MazdaSpeed6

Sport Car

MX-5 Miata

Mid-Size SUV

CX-7

Minivan

MPV

Mazda5

Compact Truck

B2300

B3000

B4000

Mazda Motor Corporation (マツダ株式会社 Matsuda Kabushiki-gaisha) is a Japanese automobile maker based in Hiroshima, Japan. As of 2005, the company produces roughly 800,000 automobiles per year with sales evenly divided among Japan, Europe, and North America.

File:Mazda Logo.png

Name

The name of the company is supposedly derived from Ahura Mazda, the transcendental God of Zoroastrianism. It is also said that Mazda coincides with the anglicized pronunciation of the founder’s name, Jujiro Matsuda, who was interested in spirituality, and chose to rename it in honor of both his family and the Zoroastrians.^[1] Mazda means «wisdom» in the Avestan language. However, in Japanese, the company has always been pronounced and spelled as «Matsuda» leading many to believe that Mazda is really just a poorly anglicized version of the founder’s name.

History

Mazda began as 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, although they produced weapons for the Japanese military throughout the Second World War. 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 33.4% controlling interest in 1996 when Mazda fell into financial crisis. Ford has based many of its models on Mazdas, such as the Probe, late model (North American) Escort and Mercury Tracer, and the co-developed Mercury Mariner/Mazda Tribute.

The 1979 deal paved way for Ford selling badge-engineered Mazdas in Asia and Australia, such as the Laser and Telstar. These models replaced the models from Ford Europe sold throughout the 1970s. Ford also used the Mazda models to establish its own retail presence in Japan — the Autorama dealers sold these cars, plus the occasional Ford US and Ford Europe models.

The badge-engineered models came to an end in the early 21st century, as Ford replaced the Laser with its own Focus, and Telstar with its own Mondeo. Ford and Mazda have moved onto collaboration in a more fundamental sense, by way of platform sharing.

1960s

The year 1960 was the birth of Mazda as an automaker. In just this decade, the marque progressed from a 16 horsepower (12 kW) keicar to a Wankel engined sports car, the Mazda Cosmo. Mazda also entered the United States market at the end of the decade.

1970s

Internationally, the 1970s were the heyday of Mazda as a performance leader. The Wankel rotary engine 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 only exception was the Mazda Chantez keicar, because other car makers vetoed the move.

However, the 1970s also saw Mazda’s first financial crisis, which led to Ford taking a 25% stake in the company. The first RX-7 released in 1978 would be a strong image leader for Mazda, but actual sales revival would not come until the early 1980s.

1980s

The 1980s saw Mazda transition from a niche Japanese player to a part of the global Ford empire. Having said that, the 80s saw the most mainstream success for Mazda. The early-80s 323 (GLC in North America) and 626 were massive hits, with the 323 taking the number one spot in Japanese car sales, overtaking the Toyota Corolla. (This is still very significant today whenever a non-Toyota tops the sales charts).

Mazda also contributed to Ford’s lineup, most notably with the MX-6-based Ford Probe. Mazda also began building the new-for-1988 626/MX-6 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 Eunos Roadster (Mazda MX-5 or Miata outside Japan) sports car (for the 1989 model year). This model revitalized the world sports car market, which was filled at the time with expensive, heavy Gran Turismo cars. Arguably inspired by the Lotus Elan, the Miata has been very successful till this day.

1990s

The 1990s were a decade of decline for Mazda. Due to the high price, the third-generation RX-7 sold poorly (although continues to be a tuner car favorite), and the Miata could not sustain the company’s sales. The rest of the lineup was poorly-received in the United States and Japan; their popularity in Europe didn’t seem to make up for the losses.

In the late 1980s, Mazda embarked on a disastrous attempt to diversify its brand names. It chose to do so because market research revealed that the Mazda brand has the connotation of economic, budget cars both in Japan and abroad. With the aim of doubling its sales, Mazda launched three new brands in Japan: Eunos, Anfini and Autozam. Eunos was to have a counterpart overseas in the US-market Amati luxury division, and Xedos in Europe. However plans for Amati was pulled at the last minute, and the rumored V12-engined flagship was shelved.

The number of brands was also an attempt to match Toyota and Nissan, both of which had multiple chains in Japan. A common opinion is that the sheer number of models had overwhelmed the company — in 1993 Mazda sold seven models based on the 626, yet they only amounted to 1/3 the sales achieved by the comparable Toyota.

In other markets, Mazda’s identity crisis saw it confused over which logo to adopt. The «Mazda» lettertype was introduced in 1975 as part of Japan’s first CAD-assisted corporate identity redesign. In 1991 a new logo was introduced, but was soon swapped for a rounded-off version («Eternal Flame») because the original had an uncomfortable resemblance to Renault’s logo. The new version is consistently used in 1990s Mazdas, but never became as well known as the lettertype. To resolve this issue, Mazda commissioned for a new logo in 1998 («Wings» or «Owl»), which it uses till this day and features in considerably larger sizes on every model.

Mazda was widely criticised in Europe for the sheer blandness of its late-1990s designs, including the last 323 and 626 which compared unfavourably to the previous models. While technically superior, the 1998 replacement for the MX-5 (Miata) lost much of the purity of the original 1989 design, which is still preferred by many enthusiasts.

Mazda and Ford continued joint efforts. In 1994, the Mazda B-Series line was split between an international (Mazda-designed) version and North American clone of the Ford Ranger. In 1998, Mazda and Ford opened a new plant in Thailand, AutoAlliance Thailand. Patterned after Mazda’s Hofu plant, AAT is now an important manufacturing location for the company.

2000s

2001 was a very difficult year for Mazda, as new models were in development and the company would have no new product until mid-2002. Once the new cars arrived, however, the company quickly turned around. Mazda 6/Atenza, RX-8, and Mazda 3/Axela proved popular and helped change perceptions of the brand. By 2004, Mazda had surpassed the ailing Mitsubishi in sales in some markets but not globally. The new MX-5 (the «Miata» name formerly used in North America has been dropped) debuted in autumn 2005 and is claimed to share no common parts with the previous model except for the side indicator repeaters used on European cars.

It has been widely rumored for a few years that Ford will use the Mazda 6/Atenza’s platform in upcoming new cars. This is very different from the climate in 1996, when commentators expected Ford to impose its own engineering on Mazda and lead to the loss of Mazda’s proprietary expertise. In fall 2005, three vehicles based on the 6’s CD3 architecture were released — the Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan, and Lincoln Zephyr (later known as MKZ).

Mazda executives have acknowledged the company’s absence in many market segments worldwide, notably in the area of trucks. The company will introduce a new crossover SUV, the CX-7, in 2006, along with a smaller minivan, the Mazda 5, and hybrid version of the Tribute. At the same time, the company is expected to withdraw the slow-selling MPV from the United States market.

Mazda USA

Founded CA, 1960
Toyo Kogyo entered the mainstream United States market{outside of CA and HI} in 1970 with a single car, the RX-2. The next year there were five cars: The compact Familia-based 1200 and R100, the larger Capella-based 616 and RX-2 and the large 1800. For 1972, the line expanded again with the addition of the RX-3 and B1600; the 1200 and 616 were replaced by the similar 808 and 618, respectively; and the boring 1800 was gone. The piston-powered 618 was gone the next year, as was the R100, but the 1.2 L 1200 was back for a single year.

Mazda quickly rose in prominence, helped in large part to their use of Wankel engines. In 1974, two rotary engine cars, the Rotary Pickup and RX-4, were introduced. In fact, the 808 and B1600 were the only piston-engined Mazdas offered in the United States that year. 1975 had a similar lineup, minus the retired RX-2.

Mazda had designed the REPU and RX-4 with the American market in mind, but the energy crisis was looming. The company’s sales were slipping due to the Wankel’s reputation as a gas hog, so Mazda responded with the reintroduction of a Familia-based car powered by a tiny piston engine, the 1.3 L Mizer. That car, and 1977 GLC (its next-generation brother) saved the company in the United States with terrific reviews and better sales.

Also introduced in 1976 was the Wankel-powered RX-5 Cosmo. But the writing was on the wall for Mazda’s mainstream Wankel lineup — every one of the older «rotary» models was cancelled after 1978.

Even though the Wankel engine had lost its allure, Mazda persevered with the technology and found a niche for it. The 1979 RX-7 rotary was the company’s greatest image-builder yet, casting a halo over the rest of the model line. Also relaunched that year was the company’s entrant in the midsize market, the 626.

The RX-7 and 626 buoyed Mazda’s American fortunes enough for it to expand. Mazda built an American plant (now AutoAlliance International) to build the 626, bringing the company to Ford’s attention. The two joined together on the 626’s 2-door offshoots, the MX-6 and Ford Probe.

Mazda finished the 1980s the same way as the 1970s, with an image-building sports car. The Miata was another tremendous halo car for the company, kicking off an industry boom in the sports car segment. The 4th-generation RX-7, introduced in 1992, was much liked, but few were sold, causing an end of the model’s importation to Japan just three years later, followed by Europe and most of the U.S. by 1998, though Australia and some U.S. states{including CA}, kept production going until around 2002.

Marques

Mazda has used a number of different marques in the Japan market, including Autozam, Eunos cars, and Anfini, although they have been phased out. This diversification stressed the product development groups at Mazda past their limits. Instead of having a half-dozen variations on any given platform, they were asked to work on dozens of different models. And consumers were confused as well by the explosion of similar new models.

Today, the former marques exist in Japan as sales channels (specialized dealerships) but no longer have specialized branded vehicles. In other words, the Carol is sold at the Autozam store (which specializes in small cars), but it is sold with the Mazda marque, not as the Autozam Carol as it once was.

In the early 1990s Mazda almost created a luxury marque, Amati, to challenge Acura, Infiniti, and Lexus in North America. In Europe, the equivalent Xedos marque was launched, lasting just a few years. The initial Amati products would have been the Amati 500 (which became the Mazda Millenia), and the Amati 1000 (a new rear wheel drive V12 successor to the Mazda 929). This never happened, leaving the near-luxury Millenia to the Mazda brand.

Logos

	1962–1975	1975–1991	1991-1992	1992–1997	June 1997–present
Symbol		None
Corporate mark
	Symbol and corporate mark as seen on most Mazda cars from the Mazda R360 until 1975	Between 1975 and 1991, Mazda did not have an official symbol, only a stylized version of their name; the previous blue «m» symbol was still used in some dealerships up until the 1980s, but later on a plain blue square next to the Mazda name was often used on dealer signs and documentation	In 1991, Mazda adopted a corporate symbol which was to represent a sun and a flame standing for heartfelt passion	Shortly after the release of the new symbol, the design was smoothed out to reduce its similarity to Renault’s	A redesigned symbol was introduced in June 1997; it is a stylized «M» meant to show Mazda stretching its wings for the future

Automobile racing

In the racing world, Mazda has had substantial success with two-rotor, three-rotor, and four-rotor cars, and private racers have also had considerable success with stock and modified Mazda Wankel-engined cars.

Mazda’s competition debut was on October 20, 1968 when two Mazda Cosmo Sport 110S coupes entered the 84 hour Marathon de la Route ultraendurance race at Nurburgring, one finishing in fourth place and the other breaking an axle after 81 hours. The next year, Mazda raced Mazda Familia R100 M10A coupes. After winning the Singapore Grand Prix in April 1969 and coming in fifth and sixth in the Spa 24 Hours (beaten only by Porsche 911s), on October 19, 1969, Mazda again entered the 84 hour Nurburgring race with four Familias; only one of which finished, winning fifth place.

In 1976, Ray Walle, owner of Z&W Mazda, drove a Cosmo (Mazda RX-5) from the dealership in Princeton, New Jersey, to Daytona, won the Touring Class Under 2.5 Liters at the 24 Hours of Daytona, and drove the car back to New Jersey. The Cosmo placed 18th overall in a field of 72. The only modifications were racing brake pads, exhaust, and safety equipment.

After substantial success by the Mazda RX-2 and Mazda RX-3, the Mazda RX-7 has won more IMSA races in its class than any other model of automobile, with its one hundredth victory on September 2, 1990. Following that, the RX-7 won its class in the IMSA 24 hours of Daytona race ten years in a row, starting in 1982. The RX7 won the IMSA Grand Touring Under Two Liter (GTU) championship each year from 1980 through 1987, inclusive.

In 1991, a four-rotor Mazda 787B (2622 cc actual, rated by FIA formula at 4708 cc) won the 24 Hours of Le Mans auto race outright, the only non-piston engine ever to win at Le Mans, as well as the only team from outside Western Europe or the United States. This led to a ban on rotary engines in the Le Mans race starting in 1992, which was eventually rescinded. After the race, the winning engine was publicly dismantled for internal examination, which demonstrated that despite 24 hours of extremely hard use it had accumulated very little wear.

This followed a decade of class wins from other Mazda prototypes, including the 757 and 767. The Sigma MC74 powered by a Mazda 12A engine was the first engine and team from outside Western Europe or the United States to finish the entire 24 hours of the Le Mans race, in 1974. Mazda is also the most reliable finisher at LeMans (with the exception of Honda, who have entered only three cars in only one year), with 67% of entries finishing. Mazda will return to prototype racing in 2005 with the introduction of the Courage C65 LMP2 car at the American Le Mans race at Road Atlanta. This prototype racer uses the Renesis Wankel from the RX-8.

Mazdas have also enjoyed substantial success in the World Land Speed competition, SCCA competition, drag racing, pro rally competition (the Familia appeared in the World Rally Championship (WRC) several times during the late ’80s and early ’90s), the One Lap of America race, and other venues. Wankel engines are barred from international Formula One racing, as well as from United States midget racing, after Gene Angelillo won the North East Midget Racing Association championship in 1985 with a car powered by a 13B engine, and again in 1986 in a car powered by a 12A engine.

Formula Mazda Racing features open wheel race cars with Mazda engines, adaptable to both oval tracks and road courses, on several levels of competition. Since 1991, the professionally organized Star Mazda Series has been the most popular format for sponsors, spectators, and upward bound drivers. The engines are all built by one engine builder, certified to produce the prescribed power, and sealed to discourage tampering. They are in a relatively mild state of racing tune, so that they are extremely reliable and can go years between motor rebuilds.

Trivia

• Mazda is the only remaining manufacturer of Wankel «rotary» engine automobiles, and is the only manufacturer to produce 3 rotor Wankel engines for production.

• Mazda is the only manufacturer to ever produce a Miller cycle engine, as used in the Mazda Millenia.

• Mazda is the only Asian/American automaker to have won the 24 Hours of Le Mans race, which the company accomplished in 1991 with their rotary-powered 787B. It is the only car not powered by a piston engine to win at Le Mans.

• Mazda’s B-Series and Ford’s Courier and Ranger have an interesting history. The Courier was launched internationally in the 1970s as a clone of the Mazda B-Series. For North America, Ford replaced the Courier with the in-house Ranger design in the 1980s, only to have the badge engineering reverse itself in 1994 when the B-Series became a Ranger clone in that market. Internationally, however, both the Ranger and Courier names were then applied to versions of Mazda’s truck. Today, the B-Series/Courier/Ranger and Truck/Ranger are two entirely different truck lines in the two markets.

• Mazda had the distinction of having the first foreign CEO to head a Japanese/American 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 Hisakazu Imaki is now CEO.

• In North American catalogues sent out by Mazda, the name of the company is explained to be derived from Ahura Mazda, a deity worshipped by the Zoroastrian people, i.e. the modern-day Parsis in the middle eastern area of Asia and the Sassanids of the Persian Empire. It is also said that Mazda coincides with the anglicized pronunciation of the founder’s name, Jujiro Matsuda, who chose to rename it in honor of both his family and the Zoroastrians. The first reason is that he chose to treat his customers positively. Another reason is that the company’s name means «wisdom» in the ancient Persian language. This signifies Jujiro Matsuda’s actions in the industry becoming wise decisions. In Japanese, the company is referred to either by its anglicised name (MAZDA Motors) or as マツダ (Matsuda), after its founder.

• The Zoom Zoom Zoom song by Serapis Bey (used in current commercials in Europe and Japan) was recorded long before it became the official song for Mazda. It was recorded for the movie Only The Strong which was released in 1993.

• While television ads for Mazda automobiles in the United States use a pronunciation where the initial vowel sound is similar to the word «mod» Canadian Mazda advertisements pronounce the company’s name with the initial «a» sound of the word «can». However, both initial vowel sounds in the company’s name were derived from its original Persian pronunciation of the name’s first and second A.

See Also

MAZDA
Mazda Current: Mazda2 · Axela/Mazda3 · Mazda6 · MX-5/Miata · CX-7 · CX-9 · MPV · Premacy/Mazda5 · Verisa Trucks: B-Series/Proceed/Truck · BT-50 · E-Series/Bongo · T-Series/Titan Keicars: Spiano · AZ-Offroad · Scrum · Laputa · AZ-Wagon · Carol Historic: Mazdago · R360 · Familia/323/Protegé · Luce/RX-4 · Sentia · Cosmo · RX-2/Capella · Savanna/RX-3 · Roadpacer · RX-5 · GLC · RX-7 · Demio/121 · MX-6/Mystère · Navajo · Millenia · Revue/121 · 626 · Cronos · Xedos 9 · 929 · MX-3 · REPU · Proceed · Persona · Luce · RX-8 · Tribute Racing: 717C · 727C · 737C · 757 · 767 · 787 · MXR-01 · RX-792P Concept: Ryuga · Nagare · Kabura · Senku · Kusabi · Ibuki · Hakaze · Cosmo 21 · Taiki · Motonari RX Concept · 2018 Mazda3 Concept · Furai Concept · Atenza MAZDASPEED Concept · Kazamai Concept · Kiyora City Car Concept · KAAN Concept · MX-5 Miata Superlight Concept · RX-500 Concept · Shinari Concept · MX-0 Concept · Mazda2 Evil Track Concept · Mazda2 Street Concept · MX-5 Super20 Concept · Mazda3 Redline Time Attack Concept · Mazda3 Turbo Sedan Concept · RX-8 Grand-Am GT Concept · MX-5 Cup Car Concept · List of Mazda vehicles · List of Mazda platforms · List of Mazda engines · Autozam · Eunos · Anfini · Mazdaspeed
edit	Jujiro Matsuda	Corporate website	A brand of the Ford Motor Company

References

External links

• Mazda Official Corporate Website
• Official Mazda Vehicle websites: U.S.A. | Canada
• Mazda In Brief 2005
• Mazda VIN Lookup
• Mazda Official UK Website
• Mazda Dealers UK

News and References

• Mazda Gallery — Mazda Images
• 1977-80 Mazda 323
• RoadTests.com — Mazda — Reviews, specs, and pictures.
• Mazda introduces clever start-stop system with direct injection
• Mazda Becomes First Automaker to use Trans-Siberian Railroad
• Insiders: Ford planning to sell Mazda stake
• Mazda may buy some of itself back from Ford

Online Forums

• OzMazda.com — Australian Online Mazda Community
• http://www.msprotege.com a.k.a. *http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/index.php
• http://mazda3forums.com
• http://www.mx6.com
• http://www.mazdatech.org
• http://www.mazdaforum.com
• http://forums.mazdaworld.org/index.php
• http://www.mx-5.com/Forum/

Search By Model

2016 Current Models

Subcompact Car

Mazda2

Compact Car

Mazda3

Mid-Size Car

Mazda6

MazdaSpeed6

Sport Car

MX-5 Miata

Mid-Size SUV

CX-7

Minivan

MPV

Mazda5

Compact Truck

B2300

B3000

B4000

Mazda Motor Corporation (マツダ株式会社 Matsuda Kabushiki-gaisha) is a Japanese automobile maker based in Hiroshima, Japan. As of 2005, the company produces roughly 800,000 automobiles per year with sales evenly divided among Japan, Europe, and North America.

File:Mazda Logo.png

Name

The name of the company is supposedly derived from Ahura Mazda, the transcendental God of Zoroastrianism. It is also said that Mazda coincides with the anglicized pronunciation of the founder’s name, Jujiro Matsuda, who was interested in spirituality, and chose to rename it in honor of both his family and the Zoroastrians.^[1] Mazda means «wisdom» in the Avestan language. However, in Japanese, the company has always been pronounced and spelled as «Matsuda» leading many to believe that Mazda is really just a poorly anglicized version of the founder’s name.

History

Mazda began as 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, although they produced weapons for the Japanese military throughout the Second World War. 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 33.4% controlling interest in 1996 when Mazda fell into financial crisis. Ford has based many of its models on Mazdas, such as the Probe, late model (North American) Escort and Mercury Tracer, and the co-developed Mercury Mariner/Mazda Tribute.

The 1979 deal paved way for Ford selling badge-engineered Mazdas in Asia and Australia, such as the Laser and Telstar. These models replaced the models from Ford Europe sold throughout the 1970s. Ford also used the Mazda models to establish its own retail presence in Japan — the Autorama dealers sold these cars, plus the occasional Ford US and Ford Europe models.

The badge-engineered models came to an end in the early 21st century, as Ford replaced the Laser with its own Focus, and Telstar with its own Mondeo. Ford and Mazda have moved onto collaboration in a more fundamental sense, by way of platform sharing.

1960s

The year 1960 was the birth of Mazda as an automaker. In just this decade, the marque progressed from a 16 horsepower (12 kW) keicar to a Wankel engined sports car, the Mazda Cosmo. Mazda also entered the United States market at the end of the decade.

1970s

Internationally, the 1970s were the heyday of Mazda as a performance leader. The Wankel rotary engine 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 only exception was the Mazda Chantez keicar, because other car makers vetoed the move.

However, the 1970s also saw Mazda’s first financial crisis, which led to Ford taking a 25% stake in the company. The first RX-7 released in 1978 would be a strong image leader for Mazda, but actual sales revival would not come until the early 1980s.

1980s

The 1980s saw Mazda transition from a niche Japanese player to a part of the global Ford empire. Having said that, the 80s saw the most mainstream success for Mazda. The early-80s 323 (GLC in North America) and 626 were massive hits, with the 323 taking the number one spot in Japanese car sales, overtaking the Toyota Corolla. (This is still very significant today whenever a non-Toyota tops the sales charts).

Mazda also contributed to Ford’s lineup, most notably with the MX-6-based Ford Probe. Mazda also began building the new-for-1988 626/MX-6 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 Eunos Roadster (Mazda MX-5 or Miata outside Japan) sports car (for the 1989 model year). This model revitalized the world sports car market, which was filled at the time with expensive, heavy Gran Turismo cars. Arguably inspired by the Lotus Elan, the Miata has been very successful till this day.

1990s

The 1990s were a decade of decline for Mazda. Due to the high price, the third-generation RX-7 sold poorly (although continues to be a tuner car favorite), and the Miata could not sustain the company’s sales. The rest of the lineup was poorly-received in the United States and Japan; their popularity in Europe didn’t seem to make up for the losses.

In the late 1980s, Mazda embarked on a disastrous attempt to diversify its brand names. It chose to do so because market research revealed that the Mazda brand has the connotation of economic, budget cars both in Japan and abroad. With the aim of doubling its sales, Mazda launched three new brands in Japan: Eunos, Anfini and Autozam. Eunos was to have a counterpart overseas in the US-market Amati luxury division, and Xedos in Europe. However plans for Amati was pulled at the last minute, and the rumored V12-engined flagship was shelved.

The number of brands was also an attempt to match Toyota and Nissan, both of which had multiple chains in Japan. A common opinion is that the sheer number of models had overwhelmed the company — in 1993 Mazda sold seven models based on the 626, yet they only amounted to 1/3 the sales achieved by the comparable Toyota.

In other markets, Mazda’s identity crisis saw it confused over which logo to adopt. The «Mazda» lettertype was introduced in 1975 as part of Japan’s first CAD-assisted corporate identity redesign. In 1991 a new logo was introduced, but was soon swapped for a rounded-off version («Eternal Flame») because the original had an uncomfortable resemblance to Renault’s logo. The new version is consistently used in 1990s Mazdas, but never became as well known as the lettertype. To resolve this issue, Mazda commissioned for a new logo in 1998 («Wings» or «Owl»), which it uses till this day and features in considerably larger sizes on every model.

Mazda was widely criticised in Europe for the sheer blandness of its late-1990s designs, including the last 323 and 626 which compared unfavourably to the previous models. While technically superior, the 1998 replacement for the MX-5 (Miata) lost much of the purity of the original 1989 design, which is still preferred by many enthusiasts.

Mazda and Ford continued joint efforts. In 1994, the Mazda B-Series line was split between an international (Mazda-designed) version and North American clone of the Ford Ranger. In 1998, Mazda and Ford opened a new plant in Thailand, AutoAlliance Thailand. Patterned after Mazda’s Hofu plant, AAT is now an important manufacturing location for the company.

2000s

2001 was a very difficult year for Mazda, as new models were in development and the company would have no new product until mid-2002. Once the new cars arrived, however, the company quickly turned around. Mazda 6/Atenza, RX-8, and Mazda 3/Axela proved popular and helped change perceptions of the brand. By 2004, Mazda had surpassed the ailing Mitsubishi in sales in some markets but not globally. The new MX-5 (the «Miata» name formerly used in North America has been dropped) debuted in autumn 2005 and is claimed to share no common parts with the previous model except for the side indicator repeaters used on European cars.

It has been widely rumored for a few years that Ford will use the Mazda 6/Atenza’s platform in upcoming new cars. This is very different from the climate in 1996, when commentators expected Ford to impose its own engineering on Mazda and lead to the loss of Mazda’s proprietary expertise. In fall 2005, three vehicles based on the 6’s CD3 architecture were released — the Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan, and Lincoln Zephyr (later known as MKZ).

Mazda executives have acknowledged the company’s absence in many market segments worldwide, notably in the area of trucks. The company will introduce a new crossover SUV, the CX-7, in 2006, along with a smaller minivan, the Mazda 5, and hybrid version of the Tribute. At the same time, the company is expected to withdraw the slow-selling MPV from the United States market.

Mazda USA

Founded CA, 1960
Toyo Kogyo entered the mainstream United States market{outside of CA and HI} in 1970 with a single car, the RX-2. The next year there were five cars: The compact Familia-based 1200 and R100, the larger Capella-based 616 and RX-2 and the large 1800. For 1972, the line expanded again with the addition of the RX-3 and B1600; the 1200 and 616 were replaced by the similar 808 and 618, respectively; and the boring 1800 was gone. The piston-powered 618 was gone the next year, as was the R100, but the 1.2 L 1200 was back for a single year.

Mazda quickly rose in prominence, helped in large part to their use of Wankel engines. In 1974, two rotary engine cars, the Rotary Pickup and RX-4, were introduced. In fact, the 808 and B1600 were the only piston-engined Mazdas offered in the United States that year. 1975 had a similar lineup, minus the retired RX-2.

Mazda had designed the REPU and RX-4 with the American market in mind, but the energy crisis was looming. The company’s sales were slipping due to the Wankel’s reputation as a gas hog, so Mazda responded with the reintroduction of a Familia-based car powered by a tiny piston engine, the 1.3 L Mizer. That car, and 1977 GLC (its next-generation brother) saved the company in the United States with terrific reviews and better sales.

Also introduced in 1976 was the Wankel-powered RX-5 Cosmo. But the writing was on the wall for Mazda’s mainstream Wankel lineup — every one of the older «rotary» models was cancelled after 1978.

Even though the Wankel engine had lost its allure, Mazda persevered with the technology and found a niche for it. The 1979 RX-7 rotary was the company’s greatest image-builder yet, casting a halo over the rest of the model line. Also relaunched that year was the company’s entrant in the midsize market, the 626.

The RX-7 and 626 buoyed Mazda’s American fortunes enough for it to expand. Mazda built an American plant (now AutoAlliance International) to build the 626, bringing the company to Ford’s attention. The two joined together on the 626’s 2-door offshoots, the MX-6 and Ford Probe.

Mazda finished the 1980s the same way as the 1970s, with an image-building sports car. The Miata was another tremendous halo car for the company, kicking off an industry boom in the sports car segment. The 4th-generation RX-7, introduced in 1992, was much liked, but few were sold, causing an end of the model’s importation to Japan just three years later, followed by Europe and most of the U.S. by 1998, though Australia and some U.S. states{including CA}, kept production going until around 2002.

Marques

Mazda has used a number of different marques in the Japan market, including Autozam, Eunos cars, and Anfini, although they have been phased out. This diversification stressed the product development groups at Mazda past their limits. Instead of having a half-dozen variations on any given platform, they were asked to work on dozens of different models. And consumers were confused as well by the explosion of similar new models.

Today, the former marques exist in Japan as sales channels (specialized dealerships) but no longer have specialized branded vehicles. In other words, the Carol is sold at the Autozam store (which specializes in small cars), but it is sold with the Mazda marque, not as the Autozam Carol as it once was.

In the early 1990s Mazda almost created a luxury marque, Amati, to challenge Acura, Infiniti, and Lexus in North America. In Europe, the equivalent Xedos marque was launched, lasting just a few years. The initial Amati products would have been the Amati 500 (which became the Mazda Millenia), and the Amati 1000 (a new rear wheel drive V12 successor to the Mazda 929). This never happened, leaving the near-luxury Millenia to the Mazda brand.

Logos

	1962–1975	1975–1991	1991-1992	1992–1997	June 1997–present
Symbol		None
Corporate mark
	Symbol and corporate mark as seen on most Mazda cars from the Mazda R360 until 1975	Between 1975 and 1991, Mazda did not have an official symbol, only a stylized version of their name; the previous blue «m» symbol was still used in some dealerships up until the 1980s, but later on a plain blue square next to the Mazda name was often used on dealer signs and documentation	In 1991, Mazda adopted a corporate symbol which was to represent a sun and a flame standing for heartfelt passion	Shortly after the release of the new symbol, the design was smoothed out to reduce its similarity to Renault’s	A redesigned symbol was introduced in June 1997; it is a stylized «M» meant to show Mazda stretching its wings for the future

Automobile racing

In the racing world, Mazda has had substantial success with two-rotor, three-rotor, and four-rotor cars, and private racers have also had considerable success with stock and modified Mazda Wankel-engined cars.

Mazda’s competition debut was on October 20, 1968 when two Mazda Cosmo Sport 110S coupes entered the 84 hour Marathon de la Route ultraendurance race at Nurburgring, one finishing in fourth place and the other breaking an axle after 81 hours. The next year, Mazda raced Mazda Familia R100 M10A coupes. After winning the Singapore Grand Prix in April 1969 and coming in fifth and sixth in the Spa 24 Hours (beaten only by Porsche 911s), on October 19, 1969, Mazda again entered the 84 hour Nurburgring race with four Familias; only one of which finished, winning fifth place.

In 1976, Ray Walle, owner of Z&W Mazda, drove a Cosmo (Mazda RX-5) from the dealership in Princeton, New Jersey, to Daytona, won the Touring Class Under 2.5 Liters at the 24 Hours of Daytona, and drove the car back to New Jersey. The Cosmo placed 18th overall in a field of 72. The only modifications were racing brake pads, exhaust, and safety equipment.

After substantial success by the Mazda RX-2 and Mazda RX-3, the Mazda RX-7 has won more IMSA races in its class than any other model of automobile, with its one hundredth victory on September 2, 1990. Following that, the RX-7 won its class in the IMSA 24 hours of Daytona race ten years in a row, starting in 1982. The RX7 won the IMSA Grand Touring Under Two Liter (GTU) championship each year from 1980 through 1987, inclusive.

In 1991, a four-rotor Mazda 787B (2622 cc actual, rated by FIA formula at 4708 cc) won the 24 Hours of Le Mans auto race outright, the only non-piston engine ever to win at Le Mans, as well as the only team from outside Western Europe or the United States. This led to a ban on rotary engines in the Le Mans race starting in 1992, which was eventually rescinded. After the race, the winning engine was publicly dismantled for internal examination, which demonstrated that despite 24 hours of extremely hard use it had accumulated very little wear.

This followed a decade of class wins from other Mazda prototypes, including the 757 and 767. The Sigma MC74 powered by a Mazda 12A engine was the first engine and team from outside Western Europe or the United States to finish the entire 24 hours of the Le Mans race, in 1974. Mazda is also the most reliable finisher at LeMans (with the exception of Honda, who have entered only three cars in only one year), with 67% of entries finishing. Mazda will return to prototype racing in 2005 with the introduction of the Courage C65 LMP2 car at the American Le Mans race at Road Atlanta. This prototype racer uses the Renesis Wankel from the RX-8.

Mazdas have also enjoyed substantial success in the World Land Speed competition, SCCA competition, drag racing, pro rally competition (the Familia appeared in the World Rally Championship (WRC) several times during the late ’80s and early ’90s), the One Lap of America race, and other venues. Wankel engines are barred from international Formula One racing, as well as from United States midget racing, after Gene Angelillo won the North East Midget Racing Association championship in 1985 with a car powered by a 13B engine, and again in 1986 in a car powered by a 12A engine.

Formula Mazda Racing features open wheel race cars with Mazda engines, adaptable to both oval tracks and road courses, on several levels of competition. Since 1991, the professionally organized Star Mazda Series has been the most popular format for sponsors, spectators, and upward bound drivers. The engines are all built by one engine builder, certified to produce the prescribed power, and sealed to discourage tampering. They are in a relatively mild state of racing tune, so that they are extremely reliable and can go years between motor rebuilds.

Trivia

• Mazda is the only remaining manufacturer of Wankel «rotary» engine automobiles, and is the only manufacturer to produce 3 rotor Wankel engines for production.

• Mazda is the only manufacturer to ever produce a Miller cycle engine, as used in the Mazda Millenia.

• Mazda is the only Asian/American automaker to have won the 24 Hours of Le Mans race, which the company accomplished in 1991 with their rotary-powered 787B. It is the only car not powered by a piston engine to win at Le Mans.

• Mazda’s B-Series and Ford’s Courier and Ranger have an interesting history. The Courier was launched internationally in the 1970s as a clone of the Mazda B-Series. For North America, Ford replaced the Courier with the in-house Ranger design in the 1980s, only to have the badge engineering reverse itself in 1994 when the B-Series became a Ranger clone in that market. Internationally, however, both the Ranger and Courier names were then applied to versions of Mazda’s truck. Today, the B-Series/Courier/Ranger and Truck/Ranger are two entirely different truck lines in the two markets.

• Mazda had the distinction of having the first foreign CEO to head a Japanese/American 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 Hisakazu Imaki is now CEO.

• In North American catalogues sent out by Mazda, the name of the company is explained to be derived from Ahura Mazda, a deity worshipped by the Zoroastrian people, i.e. the modern-day Parsis in the middle eastern area of Asia and the Sassanids of the Persian Empire. It is also said that Mazda coincides with the anglicized pronunciation of the founder’s name, Jujiro Matsuda, who chose to rename it in honor of both his family and the Zoroastrians. The first reason is that he chose to treat his customers positively. Another reason is that the company’s name means «wisdom» in the ancient Persian language. This signifies Jujiro Matsuda’s actions in the industry becoming wise decisions. In Japanese, the company is referred to either by its anglicised name (MAZDA Motors) or as マツダ (Matsuda), after its founder.

• The Zoom Zoom Zoom song by Serapis Bey (used in current commercials in Europe and Japan) was recorded long before it became the official song for Mazda. It was recorded for the movie Only The Strong which was released in 1993.

• While television ads for Mazda automobiles in the United States use a pronunciation where the initial vowel sound is similar to the word «mod» Canadian Mazda advertisements pronounce the company’s name with the initial «a» sound of the word «can». However, both initial vowel sounds in the company’s name were derived from its original Persian pronunciation of the name’s first and second A.

See Also

MAZDA
Mazda Current: Mazda2 · Axela/Mazda3 · Mazda6 · MX-5/Miata · CX-7 · CX-9 · MPV · Premacy/Mazda5 · Verisa Trucks: B-Series/Proceed/Truck · BT-50 · E-Series/Bongo · T-Series/Titan Keicars: Spiano · AZ-Offroad · Scrum · Laputa · AZ-Wagon · Carol Historic: Mazdago · R360 · Familia/323/Protegé · Luce/RX-4 · Sentia · Cosmo · RX-2/Capella · Savanna/RX-3 · Roadpacer · RX-5 · GLC · RX-7 · Demio/121 · MX-6/Mystère · Navajo · Millenia · Revue/121 · 626 · Cronos · Xedos 9 · 929 · MX-3 · REPU · Proceed · Persona · Luce · RX-8 · Tribute Racing: 717C · 727C · 737C · 757 · 767 · 787 · MXR-01 · RX-792P Concept: Ryuga · Nagare · Kabura · Senku · Kusabi · Ibuki · Hakaze · Cosmo 21 · Taiki · Motonari RX Concept · 2018 Mazda3 Concept · Furai Concept · Atenza MAZDASPEED Concept · Kazamai Concept · Kiyora City Car Concept · KAAN Concept · MX-5 Miata Superlight Concept · RX-500 Concept · Shinari Concept · MX-0 Concept · Mazda2 Evil Track Concept · Mazda2 Street Concept · MX-5 Super20 Concept · Mazda3 Redline Time Attack Concept · Mazda3 Turbo Sedan Concept · RX-8 Grand-Am GT Concept · MX-5 Cup Car Concept · List of Mazda vehicles · List of Mazda platforms · List of Mazda engines · Autozam · Eunos · Anfini · Mazdaspeed
edit	Jujiro Matsuda	Corporate website	A brand of the Ford Motor Company

References

External links

• Mazda Official Corporate Website
• Official Mazda Vehicle websites: U.S.A. | Canada
• Mazda In Brief 2005
• Mazda VIN Lookup
• Mazda Official UK Website
• Mazda Dealers UK

News and References

• Mazda Gallery — Mazda Images
• 1977-80 Mazda 323
• RoadTests.com — Mazda — Reviews, specs, and pictures.
• Mazda introduces clever start-stop system with direct injection
• Mazda Becomes First Automaker to use Trans-Siberian Railroad
• Insiders: Ford planning to sell Mazda stake
• Mazda may buy some of itself back from Ford

Online Forums

• OzMazda.com — Australian Online Mazda Community
• http://www.msprotege.com a.k.a. *http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/index.php
• http://mazda3forums.com
• http://www.mx6.com
• http://www.mazdatech.org
• http://www.mazdaforum.com
• http://forums.mazdaworld.org/index.php
• http://www.mx-5.com/Forum/

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This list of Mazda model codes describes following model codes which have been used by Mazda since the 1980s.

Naming scheme[edit]

The company’s model codes form the fifth and sixth characters of the VIN on post-1981 vehicles. The first character is a letter representing the platform family, while the second is a sequential letter for the revision of the platform. For example, the Mazda N family used by the Mazda Miata started at NA and was updated in 1998 to NB and in 2006 to NC. The 2016 and newer MX-5s are designated ND.

Mazda generally starts car platforms at the letter «A», but van and truck variants often get different names, usually starting at «V».

Note: The US-built Mazda6 and Tribute do not use the Mazda model code in the VIN; in its place is an AutoAlliance code. Instead of the model code letter, position four in the VIN specifies the vehicle’s safety systems, and position five specifies the marque, due to being built in a multi-brand facility.

Old VINs[edit]

Prior to 1981, Mazda used a different VIN format and model code naming scheme. The platforms were given two characters, and the model a third, based on their names.

The following pre-1981 platforms are known:

• M1 — Familia
• S1 — Capella/Savanna
• SA2 — Savanna/RX-7
• LA — Luce
• CD — Cosmo
• PA1/PA2 — Proceed

The next digit of the VIN specified the engine:

• 0 — 10A/10B
• 2 — 12A/12B
• 3 — 13A/13B

Model codes[edit]

B codes (for compact front-wheel drive cars)

Code	Vehicles	Years	Description
BD	Mazda Familia / Mazda 323 / Mazda GLC	1980–1986	This is the first showing of Mazda’s SS (self-stabilizing) rear suspension. The two lower parallel links of the rear strut are designed to induce toe-in on the rear tire on the outer side of the curve (e.g. right turn — left rear tire).
BE	Ford Laser	1981–1985	Rebadged version of BD.
BV	Mazda Familia / Mazda 323 (station wagon)[citation needed]	1981–1986	BV was an updated version of the preceding FA4 generation, sold alongside the newer BD sedan and coupé.
BF	Mazda Familia / Mazda 323 / Mazda Étude[1] / Ford Laser[1] (sedan, hatchback, cabriolet)	1985–2004	The self stabilizing suspension was updated. Basis for Mercury Tracer and Ford/Mercury Capri
BW	Mazda Familia / Mazda 323 / Ford Laser (station wagon)[2]	1986–1994	BW is a station wagon version of BF.
BG	Mazda Familia / Mazda 323 / Mazda Protegé / Eunos 100 / Ford Laser[citation needed]	1989–2004	Basis for the North American Ford Escort and Mercury Tracer.
BH	Mazda Familia / Ford Laser[3]	1994–2000
BA	Mazda 323 / Mazda Protegé[3]	1994–2001
BJ	Mazda Familia / Mazda 323 / Mazda Protegé / Ford Laser Lidea[4]	1998–2002	The BJ was updated with a lower moment of roll for improved steering, better chassis rigidity, and new engines and transmissions.[citation needed]
BK	Mazda3 / Mazda Axela	2003–2014	Used the Ford C1 platform, which was jointly engineered by Mazda, Volvo and Ford.[5]
BL	Mazda3 / Mazda Axela	2009–2013	BL is partially based on the Ford C1 platform, which was jointly engineered by Mazda, Volvo and Ford.
BM	Mazda3 / Mazda Axela	2013–2015	BM rides on the new, clean-sheet SkyActiv chassis architecture.
BN	2015–2018	BN is the facelifted version of BM.[6]
BY	Mazda Axela Hybrid	2013–2018	BY is the hybrid version of BM and BN, exclusive to the Japanese market.[7]
BP	Mazda3	2019–present

C codes (for mid-size front-wheel drive cars)^[a]

Code	Vehicles	Years	Description
CA	Mazda Xedos 6 / Eunos 500	1992–1999	The CA was developed for Mazda’s new upmarket Eunos brand. Just one car, sold under two names, used this platform.
CB	Mazda Lantis / Mazda 323F	1993–1998	Uses a different platform from BH, the other 323 models.
CG	Mazda Capella / Ford Telstar II[1]	1994–1996	CG was very closely related to its predecessors. The CG was designed with a slimmer body than previous models to be marketable in Japan.[8]
CP	Mazda Premacy / Ford Ixion[4]	1999–2002
CR	Mazda5 / Mazda Premacy	2004–2010
CC	Mazda Biante	2008–2018	Based on the BK.
CW	Mazda5 / Mazda Premacy	2010–2018

D codes (for subcompact car front-wheel drive cars)

Code	Vehicles	Years	Description
DA	Ford Festiva / Mazda 121	1986–1993	Also badged as the Kia Pride.
DB	Autozam Revue / Mazda 121 / Mazda Revue	1990–1996
DW	Mazda Demio / Mazda 121 / Ford Festiva Mini Wagon[4]	1996–2002	Based on the DB.
DY	Mazda2 / Mazda Demio	2002–2007	Platform co-engineered with Ford, which uses it as their B1 platform.[9]
DC	Mazda Verisa	2004–2015
DE	Mazda2 / Mazda Demio[10]	2007–2014	Platform co-engineered with Ford, which uses it as their B3 platform.[11][12][9]
DH
DJ	Mazda2 / Mazda Demio (hatchback)[13]	2014–present
DL	Mazda2 / Mazda Demio (sedan)[13]
DA	Rebadged versions of DJ and DL for the North American market.
DB
DD
DK	Mazda CX-3	2014–present
DM	Mazda CX-30	2019–present
DR	Mazda MX-30	2020–present	Based on the DM.

E codes (for mid-size crossovers, originally subcompact front-wheel drive coupes)^[b]

Code	Vehicles	Years	Description
EC	Mazda MX-3 / Autozam AZ-3 / Eunos Presso	1991–1997	Based on the BG.
EP	Mazda Tribute / Ford Escape[4]	2000–2012	Uses Ford’s CD2 platform, which is based on the GF.
ER	Mazda CX-7	2006–2012

F codes (for rotary wankel engine sports cars)

Code	Vehicles	Years	Description
FB	Mazda RX-7 / Mazda Savanna RX-7	1981–1985	The FB chassis was a new name for the SA2 used in the 1979–1980 RX-7 VIN.
FC	Mazda RX-7 / Mazda Savanna RX-7	1986–1991	Also served as the basis for the Mazda MX-5’s NA platform.
FD	Mazda RX-7 / ɛ̃fini RX-7	1991–2002
SE	Mazda RX-8[2]	2003–2011	The SE platform was the last platform used for a rotary engine-based vehicle. It also served as the basis for the Mazda MX-5’s NC platform.
FE

G codes (for mid-size front-wheel drive cars)

Code	Vehicles	Years	Description
GC	Mazda Capella / Mazda 626 / Ford Telstar[3]	1982–1987	GC was Mazda’s first front-wheel drive mid-size car platform. Available body styles were the two-door coupe, four-door sedan, and five-door hatchback. The Ford Telstar hatchback version was called the TX5: there was no Telstar version of the coupe. Production was in Japan, with local assembly in Australia (Telstar only), New Zealand, Taiwan and South Africa, where the model continued in production until 1993.
GD	Mazda Capella / Mazda 626 / Mazda MX-6 / Ford Telstar[1] (sedan, liftback, coupé)	1987–1991	The updated GD was introduced in 1987 in Japan and later elsewhere. It spawned a station wagon variant, the GV. Production in the United States started at the AutoAlliance International plant in Flat Rock, Michigan. Basis for the Ford Probe.
GV	Mazda Capella / Mazda 626 / Ford Telstar[1] (station wagon)	1988–1996	The station wagon and van versions use a modified version of the GD’s platform.
GE	Mazda 626 / Mazda Cronos / Mazda MX-6 / ɛ̃fini MS-6 / Autozam Clef / Ford Telstar[1]	1991–1997	The Japanese market Mazda Capella never used the GE platform. Rather, a new model (the Mazda Cronos) was introduced alongside the Capella, while the Capella continued with the GC platform until 1993 and was then moved to Mazda’s CG platform from 1994 through 1997. Basis for Ford Probe, Kia Credos and Kia Carnival. As Ford and Mazda shared engineering technologies, the GE platform is related to the Ford CDW27/CD162/CD132, used for the Ford Mondeo and Jaguar X-Type.
GF	Mazda Capella / Mazda 626 / Ford Telstar[1] (sedan, liftback)	1997–2002	The Capella and 626 were again reunited as the GF in 1997. An updated station wagon platform, the GW, was finally introduced as well. See Ford CD2 platform.
GW	Mazda Capella / Mazda 626 / Ford Telstar[1] (station wagon)	The station wagon and van versions use a modified version of the GF’s platform.
GG	Mazda6 / Mazda Atenza (sedan, liftback)	2002–2007	American-built Mazda6s use the «1YV» prefix on the VIN. See Ford CD3 platform. The rear multi-link suspension is remarkably similar to the «E type» found in the HC platform. Although also similar to Ford’s own design, Mazda engineers said this is a revival of the «E type» multi-link. Basis for Besturn B70.
GY	Mazda6 / Mazda Atenza (station wagon)	GY is a station wagon version of GG.
GH	Mazda6 / Mazda Atenza (sedan, liftback)	2007–2016	Introduced in 2008, GH uses a retuned and revised version of the preceding GG chassis. See Ford CD3 platform. The code GH is also used for the first generation Mazda CX-5, though it primarily uses KE.
GZ	Mazda6 / Mazda Atenza (station wagon)	2007–2012	GZ is a station wagon version of GH.
GJ	Mazda6 / Mazda Atenza	2012–2015	Basis for the Hongqi H5.
GL	2016–present	GL is a refreshed version of GJ.[14]

H codes (for full-size rear-wheel drive cars)^[c]

Code	Vehicles	Years	Description
HB	Mazda Luce / Mazda 929 / Mazda Cosmo	1981–1989	The HB was introduced in 1981 as the Mazda Cosmo coupe and Mazda Luce/929 sedan. The Luce was updated in 1986, with the 929 following the next year for some markets, but the Cosmo continued on the HB platform until 1989.
HV	Mazda Luce Legato / Mazda 929L (station wagon)[2]	1983–1987	HV was an updated version of the preceding LA4 generation, sold alongside the newer HB sedan and coupé.
HC	Mazda Luce / Mazda 929	1986–1991	A new Mazda Luce/929 sedan appeared in 1986 as the HC. The export-version 929 lagged for some markets, and the HB Cosmo continued unchanged.
HD	Mazda Sentia / Mazda 929 / ɛ̃fini MS-9	1991–1995	The Luce nameplate was retired in favor of Sentia, but the H codes continued with the 1991 HD revision.
HE	Mazda Sentia / Mazda 929	1995–1998	Export of the 929 was halted after the HD, and the ɛ̃fini marque was gone as well, but the Mazda Sentia continued for one more generation.

J codes (for full-size rear-wheel drive cars)^[d][e]

Code	Vehicles	Years	Description
JC	Eunos Cosmo	1990–1995	The JC uses a totally new platform developed for 1990s and is unique to the JC Cosmo. Its closest cousin is the HD-929 from 1991 to 1995. It was a major update from the previous HB Cosmo’s platform.

K codes (for compact crossovers)

Code	Vehicles	Years	Description
KE	Mazda CX-5[2]	2012–2017
GH	The code GH is also used for the second generation Mazda6.
KF	Mazda CX-5	2017–present
KG	Mazda CX-8	2018–present	KG is a long-wheelbase variant of KF.

L codes (for front-wheel drive minivans)^[f]

Code	Vehicles	Years	Description
LV	Mazda MPV / ɛ̃fini MPV	1988–1995	The LV uses a rear-wheel drive platform with an all-wheel drive option. It is based on the HC platform used in the Mazda Luce.
LW	Mazda MPV	1996–2006	The LW’s platform is front-wheel drive with an all-wheel drive option in some markets. It is based on the GF platform used in the Mazda Capella.
LY	Mazda8 / Mazda MPV	2006–2016	The LY’s platform is front-wheel drive with an all-wheel drive option in the Japanese market. It is based on the GY platform used in the Mazda Atenza Sport Wagon.

M codes (for mid-size front-wheel drive cars)^[g]

Code	Vehicles	Years
MA	Mazda Persona / Eunos 300	1988–1992
MB	ɛ̃fini MS-8	1992–1995

N codes (for front mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive sports cars)

Code	Vehicles	Years	Description
NA	Mazda MX-5 / Eunos Roadster / Mazda Miata	1989–1997	The NA utilized many components in-house, such as the 323/Familia/Protegé engine and 323 GTX differential (1.6L), RX-7 FC (non-turbo) differential (1.8L) and transmission, but the chassis was unique.
NB	Mazda MX-5 / Mazda Roadster / Mazda MX-5 Miata	1998–2005	The NB was very close to the NA mechanically. Most changes were related to the vehicle systems, including electrical wiring and a new generation of the Mazda B engine.
NC	Mazda MX-5 / Mazda Roadster / Mazda MX-5 Miata	2006–2015	The NC utilized a shortened version of the SE RX-8’s platform. Many suspension and braking components are interchangeable with the RX-8, while some interior components are shared with the Mazda6, Mazda3 and CX-7.
ND	Mazda MX-5 / Mazda Roadster / Mazda MX-5 Miata	2016–present	ND uses a new platform for the fourth generation of the MX-5.
NF	Fiat 124 Spider / Abarth 124 Spider[15]	2017–present	NF uses a variant of the ND platform for the 2016 Fiat 124 Spider. While the platform design is similar, the sheet metal and drivetrain are completely different, using the Fiat 1.4 MultiAir turbo 4 cylinder and an updated Mazda NC 6-speed manual transmission.
NFM
NE	Abarth 124 Spider	Abarth models were originally assigned NE in the VIN before switching to the NF code used by Fiat models.[16]

S codes (for vans)

Code	Vehicles	Years	Description
SE	Mazda Bongo / Mazda E-Series / Eunos Cargo / Ford Spectron[1] / Ford J80[17][3]	1986–1999	The code SE is also used on the Mazda RX-8.
SS
SV	1994–2000
SD	Mazda Bongo Brawny / Mazda E-Series / Ford J100[17][18]	1987–2009	Enlarged variant of SE/SS/SV.
SR
SG	Mazda Bongo Friendee / Ford Freda[4]	1995–2002
SY	Mazda Titan Dash[4]	2000–2010	SY is a lighter duty 1-ton version of WH.
SK	Mazda Bongo / Mazda Bongo Brawny / Mazda E-Series	1999–2016	Based on the SS.
SL	Mazda Bongo / Mazda E-Series	2016–2020	The SL is a minor update of SK.[18]

T codes (for mid-size models)

Code	Vehicles	Years
TA	Mazda Millenia / Mazda Xedos 9 / Eunos 800[19]	1995–2003
TB	Mazda CX-9	2006–2015
TC	Mazda CX-9	2016–present

U codes (for pickup trucks)

Code	Vehicles	Years	Description
UC	Mazda B-Series / Mazda Proceed[2]	1981–1985	Designated before 1981 as PE under the old naming scheme.
UD
UE	Mazda B-Series[20]
UF	Mazda B-Series / Mazda Proceed[2]	1985–1998
UV	Mazda Proceed Marvie / Ford Raider[21]	1991–1996	UN based SUV.
UN	Mazda B-Series / Mazda Fighter[2]	1998–2006
Mazda BT-50[2]	2006–2011	The UN code was kept over from the fifth generation B-Series it replaced.[22]
CD
UP	Mazda BT-50[18]	2011–2014	Based on the Ford Ranger.
UR	Mazda BT-50[18]	2015–2020	UR is the facelifted version of UP.
TF	Mazda BT-50	2020–present	Based on the Isuzu D-Max.

W codes (for large cabover vehicles)

Code	Vehicles	Years	Description
WE	Mazda Titan / Mazda T-Series / Ford Trader[23]	1987–1989
WG	1989–1999	Minor refresh.[24]
WV	Mazda Parkway[3]	1987–1995	WE based Bus
WH	Mazda Titan[4] / Mazda T-Series	2000–2004

See also[edit]

• List of Mazda vehicles
• List of Mazda engines

Notes[edit]

References[edit]

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This list of Mazda model codes describes following model codes which have been used by Mazda since the 1980s.

Naming scheme[edit]

The company’s model codes form the fifth and sixth characters of the VIN on post-1981 vehicles. The first character is a letter representing the platform family, while the second is a sequential letter for the revision of the platform. For example, the Mazda N family used by the Mazda Miata started at NA and was updated in 1998 to NB and in 2006 to NC. The 2016 and newer MX-5s are designated ND.

Mazda generally starts car platforms at the letter «A», but van and truck variants often get different names, usually starting at «V».

Note: The US-built Mazda6 and Tribute do not use the Mazda model code in the VIN; in its place is an AutoAlliance code. Instead of the model code letter, position four in the VIN specifies the vehicle’s safety systems, and position five specifies the marque, due to being built in a multi-brand facility.

Old VINs[edit]

Prior to 1981, Mazda used a different VIN format and model code naming scheme. The platforms were given two characters, and the model a third, based on their names.

The following pre-1981 platforms are known:

• M1 — Familia
• S1 — Capella/Savanna
• SA2 — Savanna/RX-7
• LA — Luce
• CD — Cosmo
• PA1/PA2 — Proceed

The next digit of the VIN specified the engine:

• 0 — 10A/10B
• 2 — 12A/12B
• 3 — 13A/13B

Model codes[edit]

B codes (for compact front-wheel drive cars)

Code	Vehicles	Years	Description
BD	Mazda Familia / Mazda 323 / Mazda GLC	1980–1986	This is the first showing of Mazda’s SS (self-stabilizing) rear suspension. The two lower parallel links of the rear strut are designed to induce toe-in on the rear tire on the outer side of the curve (e.g. right turn — left rear tire).
BE	Ford Laser	1981–1985	Rebadged version of BD.
BV	Mazda Familia / Mazda 323 (station wagon)[citation needed]	1981–1986	BV was an updated version of the preceding FA4 generation, sold alongside the newer BD sedan and coupé.
BF	Mazda Familia / Mazda 323 / Mazda Étude[1] / Ford Laser[1] (sedan, hatchback, cabriolet)	1985–2004	The self stabilizing suspension was updated. Basis for Mercury Tracer and Ford/Mercury Capri
BW	Mazda Familia / Mazda 323 / Ford Laser (station wagon)[2]	1986–1994	BW is a station wagon version of BF.
BG	Mazda Familia / Mazda 323 / Mazda Protegé / Eunos 100 / Ford Laser[citation needed]	1989–2004	Basis for the North American Ford Escort and Mercury Tracer.
BH	Mazda Familia / Ford Laser[3]	1994–2000
BA	Mazda 323 / Mazda Protegé[3]	1994–2001
BJ	Mazda Familia / Mazda 323 / Mazda Protegé / Ford Laser Lidea[4]	1998–2002	The BJ was updated with a lower moment of roll for improved steering, better chassis rigidity, and new engines and transmissions.[citation needed]
BK	Mazda3 / Mazda Axela	2003–2014	Used the Ford C1 platform, which was jointly engineered by Mazda, Volvo and Ford.[5]
BL	Mazda3 / Mazda Axela	2009–2013	BL is partially based on the Ford C1 platform, which was jointly engineered by Mazda, Volvo and Ford.
BM	Mazda3 / Mazda Axela	2013–2015	BM rides on the new, clean-sheet SkyActiv chassis architecture.
BN	2015–2018	BN is the facelifted version of BM.[6]
BY	Mazda Axela Hybrid	2013–2018	BY is the hybrid version of BM and BN, exclusive to the Japanese market.[7]
BP	Mazda3	2019–present

C codes (for mid-size front-wheel drive cars)^[a]

Code	Vehicles	Years	Description
CA	Mazda Xedos 6 / Eunos 500	1992–1999	The CA was developed for Mazda’s new upmarket Eunos brand. Just one car, sold under two names, used this platform.
CB	Mazda Lantis / Mazda 323F	1993–1998	Uses a different platform from BH, the other 323 models.
CG	Mazda Capella / Ford Telstar II[1]	1994–1996	CG was very closely related to its predecessors. The CG was designed with a slimmer body than previous models to be marketable in Japan.[8]
CP	Mazda Premacy / Ford Ixion[4]	1999–2002
CR	Mazda5 / Mazda Premacy	2004–2010
CC	Mazda Biante	2008–2018	Based on the BK.
CW	Mazda5 / Mazda Premacy	2010–2018

D codes (for subcompact car front-wheel drive cars)

Code	Vehicles	Years	Description
DA	Ford Festiva / Mazda 121	1986–1993	Also badged as the Kia Pride.
DB	Autozam Revue / Mazda 121 / Mazda Revue	1990–1996
DW	Mazda Demio / Mazda 121 / Ford Festiva Mini Wagon[4]	1996–2002	Based on the DB.
DY	Mazda2 / Mazda Demio	2002–2007	Platform co-engineered with Ford, which uses it as their B1 platform.[9]
DC	Mazda Verisa	2004–2015
DE	Mazda2 / Mazda Demio[10]	2007–2014	Platform co-engineered with Ford, which uses it as their B3 platform.[11][12][9]
DH
DJ	Mazda2 / Mazda Demio (hatchback)[13]	2014–present
DL	Mazda2 / Mazda Demio (sedan)[13]
DA	Rebadged versions of DJ and DL for the North American market.
DB
DD
DK	Mazda CX-3	2014–present
DM	Mazda CX-30	2019–present
DR	Mazda MX-30	2020–present	Based on the DM.

E codes (for mid-size crossovers, originally subcompact front-wheel drive coupes)^[b]

Code	Vehicles	Years	Description
EC	Mazda MX-3 / Autozam AZ-3 / Eunos Presso	1991–1997	Based on the BG.
EP	Mazda Tribute / Ford Escape[4]	2000–2012	Uses Ford’s CD2 platform, which is based on the GF.
ER	Mazda CX-7	2006–2012

F codes (for rotary wankel engine sports cars)

Code	Vehicles	Years	Description
FB	Mazda RX-7 / Mazda Savanna RX-7	1981–1985	The FB chassis was a new name for the SA2 used in the 1979–1980 RX-7 VIN.
FC	Mazda RX-7 / Mazda Savanna RX-7	1986–1991	Also served as the basis for the Mazda MX-5’s NA platform.
FD	Mazda RX-7 / ɛ̃fini RX-7	1991–2002
SE	Mazda RX-8[2]	2003–2011	The SE platform was the last platform used for a rotary engine-based vehicle. It also served as the basis for the Mazda MX-5’s NC platform.
FE

G codes (for mid-size front-wheel drive cars)

Code	Vehicles	Years	Description
GC	Mazda Capella / Mazda 626 / Ford Telstar[3]	1982–1987	GC was Mazda’s first front-wheel drive mid-size car platform. Available body styles were the two-door coupe, four-door sedan, and five-door hatchback. The Ford Telstar hatchback version was called the TX5: there was no Telstar version of the coupe. Production was in Japan, with local assembly in Australia (Telstar only), New Zealand, Taiwan and South Africa, where the model continued in production until 1993.
GD	Mazda Capella / Mazda 626 / Mazda MX-6 / Ford Telstar[1] (sedan, liftback, coupé)	1987–1991	The updated GD was introduced in 1987 in Japan and later elsewhere. It spawned a station wagon variant, the GV. Production in the United States started at the AutoAlliance International plant in Flat Rock, Michigan. Basis for the Ford Probe.
GV	Mazda Capella / Mazda 626 / Ford Telstar[1] (station wagon)	1988–1996	The station wagon and van versions use a modified version of the GD’s platform.
GE	Mazda 626 / Mazda Cronos / Mazda MX-6 / ɛ̃fini MS-6 / Autozam Clef / Ford Telstar[1]	1991–1997	The Japanese market Mazda Capella never used the GE platform. Rather, a new model (the Mazda Cronos) was introduced alongside the Capella, while the Capella continued with the GC platform until 1993 and was then moved to Mazda’s CG platform from 1994 through 1997. Basis for Ford Probe, Kia Credos and Kia Carnival. As Ford and Mazda shared engineering technologies, the GE platform is related to the Ford CDW27/CD162/CD132, used for the Ford Mondeo and Jaguar X-Type.
GF	Mazda Capella / Mazda 626 / Ford Telstar[1] (sedan, liftback)	1997–2002	The Capella and 626 were again reunited as the GF in 1997. An updated station wagon platform, the GW, was finally introduced as well. See Ford CD2 platform.
GW	Mazda Capella / Mazda 626 / Ford Telstar[1] (station wagon)	The station wagon and van versions use a modified version of the GF’s platform.
GG	Mazda6 / Mazda Atenza (sedan, liftback)	2002–2007	American-built Mazda6s use the «1YV» prefix on the VIN. See Ford CD3 platform. The rear multi-link suspension is remarkably similar to the «E type» found in the HC platform. Although also similar to Ford’s own design, Mazda engineers said this is a revival of the «E type» multi-link. Basis for Besturn B70.
GY	Mazda6 / Mazda Atenza (station wagon)	GY is a station wagon version of GG.
GH	Mazda6 / Mazda Atenza (sedan, liftback)	2007–2016	Introduced in 2008, GH uses a retuned and revised version of the preceding GG chassis. See Ford CD3 platform. The code GH is also used for the first generation Mazda CX-5, though it primarily uses KE.
GZ	Mazda6 / Mazda Atenza (station wagon)	2007–2012	GZ is a station wagon version of GH.
GJ	Mazda6 / Mazda Atenza	2012–2015	Basis for the Hongqi H5.
GL	2016–present	GL is a refreshed version of GJ.[14]

H codes (for full-size rear-wheel drive cars)^[c]

Code	Vehicles	Years	Description
HB	Mazda Luce / Mazda 929 / Mazda Cosmo	1981–1989	The HB was introduced in 1981 as the Mazda Cosmo coupe and Mazda Luce/929 sedan. The Luce was updated in 1986, with the 929 following the next year for some markets, but the Cosmo continued on the HB platform until 1989.
HV	Mazda Luce Legato / Mazda 929L (station wagon)[2]	1983–1987	HV was an updated version of the preceding LA4 generation, sold alongside the newer HB sedan and coupé.
HC	Mazda Luce / Mazda 929	1986–1991	A new Mazda Luce/929 sedan appeared in 1986 as the HC. The export-version 929 lagged for some markets, and the HB Cosmo continued unchanged.
HD	Mazda Sentia / Mazda 929 / ɛ̃fini MS-9	1991–1995	The Luce nameplate was retired in favor of Sentia, but the H codes continued with the 1991 HD revision.
HE	Mazda Sentia / Mazda 929	1995–1998	Export of the 929 was halted after the HD, and the ɛ̃fini marque was gone as well, but the Mazda Sentia continued for one more generation.

J codes (for full-size rear-wheel drive cars)^[d][e]

Code	Vehicles	Years	Description
JC	Eunos Cosmo	1990–1995	The JC uses a totally new platform developed for 1990s and is unique to the JC Cosmo. Its closest cousin is the HD-929 from 1991 to 1995. It was a major update from the previous HB Cosmo’s platform.

K codes (for compact crossovers)

Code	Vehicles	Years	Description
KE	Mazda CX-5[2]	2012–2017
GH	The code GH is also used for the second generation Mazda6.
KF	Mazda CX-5	2017–present
KG	Mazda CX-8	2018–present	KG is a long-wheelbase variant of KF.

L codes (for front-wheel drive minivans)^[f]

Code	Vehicles	Years	Description
LV	Mazda MPV / ɛ̃fini MPV	1988–1995	The LV uses a rear-wheel drive platform with an all-wheel drive option. It is based on the HC platform used in the Mazda Luce.
LW	Mazda MPV	1996–2006	The LW’s platform is front-wheel drive with an all-wheel drive option in some markets. It is based on the GF platform used in the Mazda Capella.
LY	Mazda8 / Mazda MPV	2006–2016	The LY’s platform is front-wheel drive with an all-wheel drive option in the Japanese market. It is based on the GY platform used in the Mazda Atenza Sport Wagon.

M codes (for mid-size front-wheel drive cars)^[g]

Code	Vehicles	Years
MA	Mazda Persona / Eunos 300	1988–1992
MB	ɛ̃fini MS-8	1992–1995

N codes (for front mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive sports cars)

Code	Vehicles	Years	Description
NA	Mazda MX-5 / Eunos Roadster / Mazda Miata	1989–1997	The NA utilized many components in-house, such as the 323/Familia/Protegé engine and 323 GTX differential (1.6L), RX-7 FC (non-turbo) differential (1.8L) and transmission, but the chassis was unique.
NB	Mazda MX-5 / Mazda Roadster / Mazda MX-5 Miata	1998–2005	The NB was very close to the NA mechanically. Most changes were related to the vehicle systems, including electrical wiring and a new generation of the Mazda B engine.
NC	Mazda MX-5 / Mazda Roadster / Mazda MX-5 Miata	2006–2015	The NC utilized a shortened version of the SE RX-8’s platform. Many suspension and braking components are interchangeable with the RX-8, while some interior components are shared with the Mazda6, Mazda3 and CX-7.
ND	Mazda MX-5 / Mazda Roadster / Mazda MX-5 Miata	2016–present	ND uses a new platform for the fourth generation of the MX-5.
NF	Fiat 124 Spider / Abarth 124 Spider[15]	2017–present	NF uses a variant of the ND platform for the 2016 Fiat 124 Spider. While the platform design is similar, the sheet metal and drivetrain are completely different, using the Fiat 1.4 MultiAir turbo 4 cylinder and an updated Mazda NC 6-speed manual transmission.
NFM
NE	Abarth 124 Spider	Abarth models were originally assigned NE in the VIN before switching to the NF code used by Fiat models.[16]

S codes (for vans)

Code	Vehicles	Years	Description
SE	Mazda Bongo / Mazda E-Series / Eunos Cargo / Ford Spectron[1] / Ford J80[17][3]	1986–1999	The code SE is also used on the Mazda RX-8.
SS
SV	1994–2000
SD	Mazda Bongo Brawny / Mazda E-Series / Ford J100[17][18]	1987–2009	Enlarged variant of SE/SS/SV.
SR
SG	Mazda Bongo Friendee / Ford Freda[4]	1995–2002
SY	Mazda Titan Dash[4]	2000–2010	SY is a lighter duty 1-ton version of WH.
SK	Mazda Bongo / Mazda Bongo Brawny / Mazda E-Series	1999–2016	Based on the SS.
SL	Mazda Bongo / Mazda E-Series	2016–2020	The SL is a minor update of SK.[18]

T codes (for mid-size models)

Code	Vehicles	Years
TA	Mazda Millenia / Mazda Xedos 9 / Eunos 800[19]	1995–2003
TB	Mazda CX-9	2006–2015
TC	Mazda CX-9	2016–present

U codes (for pickup trucks)

Code	Vehicles	Years	Description
UC	Mazda B-Series / Mazda Proceed[2]	1981–1985	Designated before 1981 as PE under the old naming scheme.
UD
UE	Mazda B-Series[20]
UF	Mazda B-Series / Mazda Proceed[2]	1985–1998
UV	Mazda Proceed Marvie / Ford Raider[21]	1991–1996	UN based SUV.
UN	Mazda B-Series / Mazda Fighter[2]	1998–2006
Mazda BT-50[2]	2006–2011	The UN code was kept over from the fifth generation B-Series it replaced.[22]
CD
UP	Mazda BT-50[18]	2011–2014	Based on the Ford Ranger.
UR	Mazda BT-50[18]	2015–2020	UR is the facelifted version of UP.
TF	Mazda BT-50	2020–present	Based on the Isuzu D-Max.

W codes (for large cabover vehicles)

Code	Vehicles	Years	Description
WE	Mazda Titan / Mazda T-Series / Ford Trader[23]	1987–1989
WG	1989–1999	Minor refresh.[24]
WV	Mazda Parkway[3]	1987–1995	WE based Bus
WH	Mazda Titan[4] / Mazda T-Series	2000–2004

See also[edit]

• List of Mazda vehicles
• List of Mazda engines

Notes[edit]

References[edit]

У каждой торговой марки есть своя история. Взлеты и падения на пути к успеху были у каждого производителя. История бренда Mazda не исключение.

История бренда «Мазда»

История бренда Mazda началась с 1920 года в городе Хиросиме. Японская компания занималась производством пробковых панелей и станков, а сегодня известна во всем мире своими автомобилями, легковыми, грузовыми, спортивными, семейными.

Основание компании

Президентом Mazda стал Дзюдзиро Мацуда, отец которого был бедным рыбаком, так что большими деньгами не владел. Фирму Мацуда основал не с нуля. Изначально концерн ему не принадлежал – разорившаяся строительная компания была куплена вместе с инвесторами.

Жизнь Дзюдзиро Мацуды не была легкой. Возможности учиться в школе у него не было, поэтому пришлось заняться кузнечным делом. Оно помогло Мацуде осознать свою тягу к автомобилестроению. Прежде чем будущий инженер стал владельцем собственного концерна, он работал на множестве предприятий. Среди них были судостроительные верфи и оружейные заводы.

После основания компании ее специалисты в течение 10 лет работали над мотоциклами. Увы, производство так и не стало массовым. Станки продолжали оставаться основным направлением.

История эмблемы

Логотип «Мазда» появился не сразу после основания компании. Впервые он увидел свет после 1934 года. Лого «Мазда» представляло собой стилизованное название фирмы. Затем эмблема бренда стала более минималистичной. Теперь она выглядела как буква М. Второй логотип Mazda появился через 2 года после первого.

Следующее обновление логотипа произошло в 1962 году. Буква М была помещена в круг. А в период с 1975 по 1991 год официальной эмблемы у компании не было. Только в 1991 году был разработан новый дизайн, и именно этот знак «Мазды» используется компанией сейчас, хотя и в несколько измененном виде.

Значение значка «Мазда» – это огонь или солнце. На нем можно разглядеть само солнце, круг света и крылья. Именно из-за крыльев логотип часто сравнивают с совой. «Мазду» узнавали со старым значком, но новый стал самым оригинальным и приобрел статус культового.

Значение названия Mazda

Привычно называться компания стала только в 1931 году. Марка «Мазда» названа так по имени зороастрийского бога Ахура Мазда, которому поклонялись как богу мудрости. Также название созвучно с фамилией основателя и похоже произносится.

Философия бренда

Во многом философия марки определяется страной ее происхождения – Японией. Сейчас история производителя насчитывает целый век. Личная история создателя бренда Дзюдзиро Мацуды была и остается главным столпом философии Мазды.

Машиностроение было не просто способом заработать денег. Производство транспорта – настоящая страсть Мацуды. Он считал, что техника – это способ изменить мир к лучшему, и эта установка обозначила вектор развития для его компании.

Япония – это страна инноваций и изобретателей, поэтому стремление к непрерывному развитию у японцев в крови. Часть их традиций – добросовестно выполнять свою работу, так что в качестве продукции не стоит сомневаться, оно всегда на высшем уровне.

Не забывают японцы и о красоте, поэтому дизайнеры «Мазды» создали свой стиль под названием Kodo. Название означает «душа движения». Все авто фирмы не только технически, но и внешне воплощают собой мощь и скорость.

Развитие японского автопрома

Далеко не сразу компания занялась производством транспорта. Изначально это была строительная фирма. Ее специализацией было создание панелей из пробкового дерева, позже был налажен выпуск станков. В 1925 году фабрика, которой владел Мацуда, сгорела. В итоге к старой продукции было решено не возвращаться, вместо этого завод был перепрофилирован, чтобы производить транспортные средства. Первым транспортом, произведенным обновленным заводом, стали мотоциклы.

Ранее в 1923 году в Японии произошло сильнейшее землетрясение. Оно ударило по экономике, и жители страны не могли позволить себе дорогие средства передвижения. Это означало, что использование, как и продажа бюджетного колесного транспорта стали актуальными. Тогда-то компания разработала модельный ряд трехколесных мототележек. Они были простыми в производстве и доступными, так что имели успех.

В 1931 году на японском рынке появилась первая машина концерна. Этой моделью был грузовой автомобиль. Продажи были отличными, поэтому было решено наладить экспорт в Китай.

Заводы компании были полностью уничтожены во время сброса бомб в конце Второй мировой. Но фирма все равно вернулась на рынок. Она продолжала выпускать грузовики с качественной комплектацией.

• 1967 год концерн поразил всех, представив спортивный автомобиль Cosmo Sport 110S. До этого в 1964 году выпустили машину для всей семьи, Mazda Familia. Бизнес расширялся, продукцию завозили уже в 20 стран мира.
• В 1981 году произошло значимое событие – выход на американский рынок.
• 1986 год ознаменовался выпуском модели RX-7.
• 1989 год примечателен анонсом одного из самых популярных авто бренда – кабриолета MX-5.

В 2000 году «Мазда» совершает прорыв, начиная взаимодействовать с покупателями через интернет. Но сетевой маркетинг не единственное достижение. В 2002 году вышла модель Sports F. Ее уникальность в том, что разработкой занимались женщины.

Место и перспективы «Мазда» сейчас

Сегодня компания успешно производит самые разные автомобили, среди которых есть кроссоверы и концепт-кары. «Мазда» очень старается быть доступной для большинства людей. По этой причине концерн почти полностью отказался от разработки люксовых авто и сосредоточился на выпуске машин малого и среднего класса. Развивается и особая линия товаров – спорткары.

У «Мазды» налажен экспорт в 120 стран мира, а в 21 государстве фирма владеет заводами для сборки. Недавно в соответствии с последними тенденциями вышел первый электрокар, разработанный инженерами компании.

Люксовый бренд «Мазды» – Amati

Отказ от производства автомобилей класса премиум легко объяснить. Amati готовили в первую очередь для американского рынка, и машина должна была выйти в продажу в 1983 году и в США, и в Японии. Модель была безупречна по всем параметрам и отвечала стандартам класса люкс. Но это не спасло ее от провала.

Решено было сменить курс и продать большую часть автомобилей на родине, но именно тогда в Японии случился экономический кризис, и авто среднего класса были более актуальны. Так что машина не была успешной, но стала опорой для дальнейших разработок.

«Мазда» в России

В июне 2011 года Mazda с Россией договорились о возможности сборки автомобилей бренда в Приморском крае. В 2012 году было налажено совместное с РФ производство транспорта и его последующая продажа. В 2017 году началось строительство завода Mazda во Владивостоке. В сентябре следующего года он был открыт.

Модельный ряд

Линейки концерна могут похвастаться разнообразием. В модельном ряде присутствуют спортивные автомобили, легковые машины, кроссоверы, родстеры и пикапы.

Самые популярные модели:

• Mazda 3. Хэтчбек с бензиновым двигателем, четырьмя модификациями и подогревом. Особенности: мониторинг внимания водителя и шумоизоляция салона.
• Mazda 3 Sedan. Автомобиль с анатомическими сидениями и усиленной жесткостью кузова.
• BT-50. Пикап предназначен для бездорожья и скользкой дороги. Главное достоинство – высокая проходимость.
• CX 5. Внедорожник со спортивным дизайном. Компактный, оснащен автоматическим безопасным торможением, оборудован светодиодными фарами.

Автомобили Mazda продолжают бить рекорды продаж и поражать клиентов своей мощностью и функциональностью, мотивируют конкурентов. История бренда Mazda и сейчас вдохновляет предпринимателей.