| The History Of Mazda
Brought to you by your local Lehigh Valley Mazda
dealership
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The name Mazda stems from Ahura Mazda,
the highest Zoroastrian God of reason who granted
wisdom and united man, nature and the other gods. It
also closely resembles the sound of the company
founder’s name, Mr Jujiro Matsuda. He started the
company in 1920 as Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd. In 2001
the company celebrates 70 years of automobile
production.
Early vehicles
Manufacture of machine tools started in 1929,
shortly followed by a three-wheel truck, the Mazdago,
in 1931. The first car, the Mazda R360 Coupe
two-door passenger vehicle, came out in 1960, with
the four-door Mazda Carol appearing in 1962. The
next year cumulative automobile production topped
one million.
Tradition of innovation
Mazda’s first rotary engine vehicle, the Mazda Cosmo
Sports 110S, was launched in 1967. Other notable
cars that have helped to establish our reputation
include the 1977 introductions of the Mazda Familia
(323) and Mazda Capella (626). Our sports car
heritage was firmly established by the Mazda RX-7
(1978) and consolidated by the world's best selling
two-seater sports car, the Mazda MX-5, first
launched in 1989.
Engine technology
Mazda has been at the forefront of engine
development since 1961, when we first began
technical cooperation with the German company NSU/Wankel
on rotary engines. The latest breakthrough is the
new RENESIS engine powering the RX-EVOLV concept
car.
Nineties successes
We were very proud to win the Le Mans 24-Hour race
with the Mazda 787B in 1991. It was the first
victory for any Japanese car manufacturer and the
only victory for a rotary engine.
The prototype of the Xedos 9 made great waves at the
1993 Frankfurt Motor Show. We brought in Mazda
Digital Innovation in 1996, incorporating cutting
edge technology. Last year, the tylish and inventive
Mazda Premacy burst upon the scene. The new century
has seen our 35 millionth car roll off the
production line.
A stable partnership
The company first forged a partnership with Ford
in1969, forming an automatic transmission
manufacturing joint venture. Ten years later, Ford
acquired a 25% stake in Mazda, and the
relationship has developed strongly ever since –
AAI, the companies’ joint US venture has made well
over 2 million vehicles since 1992.
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