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Mazda Victory at Le Mans in 1991
Birth of Mazda MX-5 Roadster
Mazda MX-5 roadster makes its comeback.
In the 1980s, very few mainstream motor manufacturers where making roadsters anymore. Their heyday in 1950s and 1960s Britain seemed well and truly over. Until Mazda came into the picture that is.
The thinking was to create a sporting roadster, the Mazda MX-5 roadster for modern times that was reliable and fun to drive. To defy conventional thinking and to make a car that featured back-to-basics driving pleasure at its best.
The original Mazda MX-5 Roadster tipped the scales at just 955 kilograms proving to be a truly lightweight sports car. It boasted a front-engine, rear wheel-drive layout that featured exceptional driving dynamics.
This was the roadster of 1950s and 1960s reborn for a modern time. In fact, the Mazda MX-5 Roadster was so much fun to drive and such a pleasure to own that it became the best selling roadster of all time.
Mazda Rotary Engine 1961
Mazda Rotary Engine
The Mazda Rotary Engine is a truly revolutionary engine and does exactly that: it revolves. This was the thinking behind the Mazda rotary engine developed by Felix Wankel, where the combustion spins a flat disc rather than pushing pistons up and down. Mazda acquired this technology in the late 50s and is the only manufacturer to continue using this alternative engine concept today. Ideal for use in sports cars thanks to their high RPMs and compact dimensions, the rotary engine featured in a number of exciting Mazdas, from the breathtaking Cosmo 110S to the legendary RX-7 and RX-8. The Mazda Rotary Engine also featured in the 787 racers, famous for winning the 24 hours of Le Mans in 1991.Mazda the Early Years 1931-1945
Mazda The Early Years, Three wheels and the rebuilding of a city.
The Mazda Spirit
Mazda Spirit stems from Hiroshima
Mazda’s challenger spirit of never giving up can be traced back to the land and people of Hiroshima. After suffering a devastating blow at the end of WWII, when the atomic bomb was dropped, Hiroshima refused to succumb to the devastation and went on to achieve an amazing recovery. This determination to rebuild from almost nothing is a defining attitude which runs through Hiroshima-based company is defined in the Mazda spirit. Mazda welcomes the challenges that others say are impossible. The adversity and barriers we encounter are the inspiration to succeed, we never give up the pursuit of our dream. This is the spirit of Hiroshima – the Mazda spirit. New technologies are only achieved by those who dare. This is our belief, and this is how Mazda builds cars.Mazda Beginings 1920-1931
Mazda Beginings
In 1920, the Toyo Cork Kogyo company was founded in Hiroshima, Japan by Jujiro Matsuda. As the name suggests, the company initially manufactured cork, and so set in motion the Mazda beginings. Matsuda, himself the son of a fisherman, apprenticed to a blacksmith and at the age of fourteen embraced the entrepreneurial spirit and invented the ‘Matsuda-type pump”in 1906 Matsuda soon however branched out from manufactuering machine tools to making cars cars and in 1931 the name Mazda was born, and so too the Mazda-Go – a motorised tricycle – Mazda’s first vehicle. Matsuda adopted son-in-law, Tsuneji Matsuda succeeded Matsuda as president of Toyo Kogyo, and oversaw the expansion of its automobile division until 1979, when Ford Motor Company took a 25% equity stake in Toyo Kogyo. The alliance with Ford led to the divestiture of shares from the Matsuda family and the change of Toyo Kogyo into Mazda Motor Corporation in 1984. The word Mazda refers to the family surnname “Matsuda” as well as Ahura Mazda, the West Asian God of wisdom, intelligence and harmony. This is the Mazda beginings!The Mazda CX-5, with Petrol & Diesel Engines
Mazda CX-5: A new era of Mazda vehicles
The Mazda CX-5; the first new generation vehicle to adopt Mazda’s breakthrough SKYACTIV TECHNOLOGY and KODO – Soul of Motion design theme now comes with an additional petrol engine and all-new diesel engines.
First introduced in South Africa in 2012 with a 2.0-litre petrol engine; the enhanced 2014 CX-5 compact crossover introduces for the first time in South Africa a 2.5-litre petrol as well as a 2.2-litre twin-turbo diesel. And to be more competitive in the SUV segment, more features have been added across the whole range.
Particularly, attention was paid to design, dynamic performance, functionality, environmental and safety performance to offer customers a stylish vehicle with a predictable and responsive driving experience – insightful features, useful to the customer’s driving pleasure.
Through SKYACTIV Technology; more power, more torque and more kilometres per litre are possible by creating overall vehicle efficiency. Safety, spaciousness and style are even better than before.
“In this day and age, being environmentally friendly is a given. We want to offer our customers outstanding environmental and safety performance together with driving enjoyment. To ensure that we can do so, Mazda has completely renewed all the basic elements of the car, from the powertrain including engine and transmission, to the body and the chassis. The first of Mazda’s new generation of products to fully incorporate our SKYACTIV TECHNOLOGY is the CX-5. As we launch new products moving forward, Mazda will continue to offer all customers driving enjoyment combined with outstanding environmental and safety performance”. Says David Hughes – MD of Mazda South Africa
The winning combination of class-beating fuel economy, fun -to-drive Mazda performance and safety along with one of the most comfortable and flexible interiors in its segment have made the Mazda CX-5 incredibly popular with consumers worldwide.
Now with the all-new Mazda petrol and diesel engines, manual and automatic transmissions, SKYACTIV body and chassis; the CX-5 delivers precise response and a high-quality, rewarding ride matched to outstanding environmental and safety performance.
