Press release
104KB
june 12, 2020 - Mazda
Boring was never an option: 60 years of great to drive Mazda family cars
The family car: While it has to be good at practical things like seating capacity and cargo space, style and performance too often end up taking a back seat. For #Mazda, such compromises were never an option. From the beginning, #Mazda has strived to set itself apart and has indeed succeeded by building a tradition of unconventional designs and engineering.
Today, #Mazda is known for its lightweight and efficient family models like the Mazda6 and #Mazda CX-5, with stunning exteriors and innovative cabin concepts to go with their outstanding driving dynamics. Now trademarks of the brand, the company has been focusing on characteristics like these for as long as it has manufactured vehicles.
It all began with Mazda’s first mass-production passenger car. Launched in May 1960, the cleverly designed 2.98m-long #Mazda R360 could seat four despite microcar dimensions. The two-door coupé gave the previously commercial vehicle only manufacturer a solid start in Japan’s burgeoning car market, dominating its segment in 1960. A long procession of appealing family friendly models would follow in the years and decades to come.
Mazda Familia – the name says it all
Arriving in 1963, the #Mazda Familia/800/1000 built on the success of the R360 and the more advanced #Mazda Carol P360 from 1962. Initially produced in wagon format, the Familia fulfilled the demand for a blend of light van utility and passenger car comfort. And the carmaker supplemented this with sporty handling and distinctive styling by renowned Italian design house Carrozzeria Bertone.
As a refreshing alternative to the functional models available from the competition, the Familia wagon soon led its class in Japan with a 44% market share. #Mazda quickly expanded the line-up with sedan and coupé versions, and even a pick-up. The second generation launched in 1967 as the #Mazda 1000 (later 1200/1300), was among the brand’s initial model offerings in Europe. The Familia would make its mark in the compact class through the remainder of the 20th century as the #Mazda 323 (from 1977), and its progressive spirit lives on in the Mazda3, whose current fourth-generation model won 2020 World Car Design of the Year.
Mazda’s reputation for inspired design dates back to its early passenger cars, particularly the mid-sized #Mazda Luce/1500/1800 introduced in 1966. Adapted from a Bertone concept and offered as a sedan, wagon or coupé, the Luce was one of the first Mazdas exported to Europe. It paved the way for family sedans and wagons like the Familia-based #Mazda 818/RX-3, #Mazda Capella/616/RX-2 (both 1971) and the larger #Mazda 929/RX-4 (1972).1
Mazda 626 - conquering European hearts
One of the company’s most impactful family cars was the #Mazda 626 (1978) which defined the brand in the 1980s as the most European among the Asian producers and helped #Mazda achieve new sales records in key markets like Germany, where it was the top selling import in 1988 and 1989.
Initially available as a sedan or coupé, the second generation 626 (1982) adopted a new front-wheel drive platform, delivering a more comfortable interior, while also adding a roomy five-door hatchback and a diesel engine option. The new edition won the 1982 Japan Car of the Year award. With the third-generation 626 (1987), #Mazda produced a wagon version with a 7-seat option and offered four-wheel drive in some markets. Two more generations followed until the 626 nameplate was retired in most of the world in 2002.
Its successor would have big shoes to fill. Reworking the family car for the 21st century, the carmaker introduced the first-generation Mazda6 as a wagon, sedan and hatchback in 2002. The new model marked the consolidation of Mazda’s larger car models (including the Xedos 9/Millenia and Japan-only Sentia) into one. #Mazda pulled it off: Praised for its cutting-edge design and sporty handling, the Mazda6 was an immediate hit. Global production reached 1-million units after only four years and 2 million in 2010 during its second generation. #Mazda also offered a high performance all-wheel drive version called the Mazd6 MPS in Europe that was capable of 240km/h.
Now in its third generation (2012), with its award-winning Kodo design and Skyactiv-Technology, the Mazda6 is more of a standout than ever in terms of looks, driving dynamics and, particularly as a wagon, family friendliness. Powerful yet efficient petrol and diesel engines along with a refined chassis and generous equipment levels make it exceptional to drive.
Mazda vans – decades of innovative interiors
No history of family models from #Mazda would be complete without mentioning their vans. Here as elsewhere, the company employed unique concepts to maximise space and comfort. Only 3.77m long but with seating for eight? The #Mazda Bongo’s low-floor design made it possible when the lightweight cab-over van was introduced in 1966.
How about solar-powered air conditioning? The Bongo Sky Lounge, a luxurious microbus, had it – in 1983! Known in Europe as the E-series and prized into the farthest corners of the world as an indestructible people carrier and workhorse, the Bongo was Mazda’s best-selling model in Japan for several years. Also available for various commercial vehicle applications and as a camper, it has exemplified versatility over decades.
Mazda launched its first true minivan in 1988. The seven-seater #Mazda MPV featured a four-wheel drive option and, when it arrived in Europe in the mid-1990s, a fuel-efficient turbodiesel as well as a rear door on the driver’s side. Highlights of the second generation (1999) included a front-wheel drive layout and a fresh exterior design with Karakuri2 seating enabling flexible arrangement of the interior.
The smaller #Mazda Premacy was practical in its own right, with a seven-seat option, folding and removable second and third rows, and convenient dual rear sliding doors. In 2005, the next generation – called the Mazda5 outside Japan, while retaining the Premacy badge in the home market – was equipped with an evolved Karakuri system allowing countless layout possibilities in the cabin with minimal effort. It and the final Mazda5 generation (2010) were arguably the sportiest compact minivans on the market. #Mazda even offered a world-first hybrid-electric version through a leasing programme featuring a rotary engine that could run on hydrogen as well as petrol.
Uncompromising family-friendly cars remain as vital as ever for #Mazda today as in the last six decades. Current models like the #Mazda CX-5, the brand’s top-selling SUV, set themselves apart with their award-winning Kodo designs and Skyactiv-Technology. However, the ultra-competitive nature of today’s #automotive industry spurs #Mazda to deliver more from its vehicles than “merely” practical, safe, comfortable, stylish, efficient and fun-to-drive. Hence the great efforts made to create an open, relaxed cabin atmosphere for passengers or to minimise sources of driver distraction and fatigue by situating important controls for simple, intuitive operation. Such things require much attention to small details. But they add up to an exceptional overall family car experience.
1 The majority of cars sold in Europe were piston-engined 616s, 818s and 929s rather than rotary-powered RX-series
2 Japanese term describing clever, insightful mechanisms that are simple to operate
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