Mazda vehicle research

Mazda Motor Corporation is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Fuchū, Hiroshima, Japan. The company was founded on January 30, 1920, as Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., a cork-making factory, by Jujiro Matsuda. The company then acquired Abemaki Tree Cork Company.

History

Mazda began as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd, as a cork-making factory founded in Hiroshima, Japan, January 30, 1920. Toyo Cork Kogyo renamed itself to Toyo Kogyo Co., Ltd. in 1927. In the late 1920s the company had to be saved from bankruptcy by Hiroshima Saving Bank and other business leaders in Hiroshima.

Lineup

Mazda has staked its identity on engineering paths other automakers avoided: the Wankel rotary engine, which powered decades of Mazda sports cars and won the 1991 24 Hours of Le Mans outright with the 787B, the only rotary-powered car ever to do so; and more recently the SkyActiv platform and engine family, which pursued higher compression ratios and lighter structures to improve efficiency without adding turbochargers or hybrid hardware the way most rivals did. Ford was Mazda's major shareholder from 1974 until the late 2000s, a relationship that produced shared platforms (the Mazda6 and Ford Mondeo, for instance) before Mazda became independent again; the company has also partnered at various points with Toyota, Nissan, Isuzu, Suzuki and Kia. Mazda's current lineup runs the Mazda3 and Mazda6 as its sedans/hatchbacks and the CX-30, CX-50, CX-70 and CX-90 as its SUVs in ascending size, with the MX-5 Miata continuing as the brand's dedicated lightweight rear-wheel-drive roadster and the last mainstream affordable sports car of its kind still in production. Mazda's Kodo "Soul of Motion" design language, introduced in the early 2010s, unified the visual identity across that entire lineup, and the brand builds roughly 1.1 million vehicles a year worldwide.

Environmental efforts

Mazda has conducted research in hydrogen-powered vehicles for several decades. Mazda has developed a hybrid version of its Premacy compact minivan using a version of its signature rotary engine that can run on hydrogen or gasoline named the Mazda Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid. Despite plans to release it in 2008, as of 2010 the vehicle is in limited trials.

Motorsport

In the racing world, Mazda has had substantial success with both its signature Wankel-engine cars (in two-rotor, three-rotor, and four-rotor forms) as well as its piston-engine models. Mazda vehicles and engines compete in a wide variety of disciplines and series around the world. In 1991, Mazda became the first Japanese automaker to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans overall.

Marketing

Mazda's past advertising slogans included: "The more you look, the more you like" (1970s to early 1980s); "Experience Mazda" (mid-1980s); "You'll be aMAZed at a MAZda" (UK, 1980s); "An intense commitment to your total satisfaction, that's The Mazda Way" (late 1980s); "It Just Feels Right" along with advertising describing Mazda's use of Kansei engineering; "Passion for the road" (1996); "Get in.

Source: Mazda (Wikipedia)