MAZDA

Mazda cars have a reputation for looking and feeling different from the mainstream thanks in part to their use of Wankel - or rotary - engines in certain models. During the 1960s, Mazda cooperated with NSU's Felix Wankel - who gave his name to the engine - in Germany to introduce rotary-powered vehicles and this continues to the present day with the RX-8.

The company claims that: "Everything we do is daring, ingenious and fun. Our cars all have that extra-special 'Zoom-Zoom' factor: sports-inspired design and motoring in their soul,". This is reflected through the full range of current cars from the all-new Mazda2 supermini to the Mazda BT-50 pick-up.

MAZDA HISTORY

Mazda began as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd, founded in Japan in 1920 manufacturing machine tools. Manufacture of machine tools started in 1929, shortly followed by a three-wheel truck, the Mazdago, in 1931.

Mazda's first car, the Mazda R360 Coupe two-door passenger vehicle, came out in 1960, following with the Mazda Carol in1962. The next year, Mazda's car production topped one million. During the 1970s, Mazda successfully entered the North American market, and financial difficulties during the 1990s saw Ford take a controlling interest in Mazda in 1999.

MAZDA FACTS

• Type: Public; partial subsidiary of Ford Motor Company
• Founded: 1920
• Headquarters: Fuchu, Aki, Hiroshima, Japan
• Key People: Jujiro Matsuda (founder) Kazuhide Watanabe (Chairman) Hisakazu Imaki (CEO)
• Industry: Automotive

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MAZDA FEATURED MODELS

• MAZDA 2 - a supermini which has been crowned World Car of the Year 2008, thanks to competitive pricing, eager engines and a lightweight construction.
• MAZDA 323 - a five-door hatchback and 4-door saloon, both of which feature pillarless doors. The 323 offers a choice of three powerful new petrol engines including an advanced turbo diesel engine.
• MAZDA 3 - a compact car, the Mazda3 comes in two distinct body styles: the 4-door Saloon and the 5-door Hatchback.
• MAZDA 5 - a seven-seat MPV which features sliding rear doors, which is unusual in its class.
• MAZDA 6 - a mid-size car produced since 2002, the Mazda6 comes in three body styles: 4-door, 5-door and estate, with 1.8, 2 and 2.5-litre engines respectively.
• MAZDA MX-5 - a sports car built since 1989, the MX-5 is now in its third generation and available as a soft-top or roadster coupé. It is the world's best selling car of its type.
• MAZDA RX8 - a top-of-the-range sports car made by Mazda since 2001, the RX8 is the successor to the RX-7. Like its predecessors in the RX range, is powered by a rotary engine.
• MAZDA CX-7 - a mid-sized SUV which features permanent four wheel drive and the turbocharged 2.3-litre engine from the Mazda 3 MPS hot hatch.

DID YOU KNOW?

• Mazda's factory at Hiroshima is one of the largest single-site automobile plants in the world, with an annual production capacity of about 480,000 cars.
• Mazda is the only manufacturer in the world that makes petrol, diesel and rotary internal combustion engines.
• The Mazda 787B won the Le Mans 24-Hour race in 1991. This was the first and only time a rotary engine has ever won the race, also marking the first victory for a Japanese car manufacturer.
• The name Mazda stems from Ahura Mazda, the highest Zoroastrian God of reason who granted wisdom and united man, nature and the other gods.

MAZDAS AT AUTO TRADER

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