Mazda

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This article is about the car manufacturer. For other uses, see Mazda
(disambiguation).
Coordinates:  34.3770577°N 132.5008222°E

Mazda Motor Corporation

マツダ株式会社

Mazda's headquarters in Fuchū, Hiroshima

Native name マツダ株式会社

Romanized name Matsuda Kabushiki-gaisha

Type Public (K.K.)

Traded as TYO: 7261

ISIN JP3868400007 

Industry Automotive

Founded 30 January 1920; 100 years ago

 Founder Jujiro Matsuda

Headquarters 3-1 Shinchi, Fuchū, Aki, Hiroshima, Japan

Area served Worldwide

Key people Masamichi Kogai (chairman)

Akira Marumoto (president and
CEO)

Products 1,202,489 units (2016)

Automobiles
Light Trucks
Engines
 ¥3.4 trillion (FY 2016)[1]
Revenue

Operating income  ¥22.6 billion (FY 2016)[1]

Net income  ¥13.4 billion (FY 2016)[1]

Owners Japan Trustee Services Bank (6.3%)

Toyota (5%)[2]
The Master Trust Bank of Japan (4.7%)
Sumitomo Mitsui Banking
Corporation (2.2%)
[3]

Number of employees 46,398 (2016)

Website www.mazda.com

Mazda Motor Corporation (Japanese: マツダ株式会

社, Hepburn: Matsuda Kabushiki-gaisha) (commonly referred to as simply Mazda) is
a Japanese multinational automaker based in Fuchū, Aki District, Hiroshima
Prefecture, Japan.[4]
In 2015, Mazda produced 1.5 million vehicles for global sales, the majority of which
(nearly 1 million) were produced in the company's Japanese plants, with the
remainder coming from a variety of other plants worldwide. [5] In 2015, Mazda was the
fifteenth biggest automaker by production worldwide. [6]

Contents

 1Name
 2History
o 2.1Partnership with Ford Motor Company
o 2.2Post-partnership with Ford
 3Marques
 o 3.1Past emblems
 4Leadership
 5Markets
 6Environmental efforts
o 6.1Bio-Car
o 6.2SkyActiv Technology
 7Motorsport
o 7.1International competition
o 7.2Spec series
 8Sponsorships
 9Marketing
 10See also
 11References
 12External links

Name
The name Mazda came into existence with the production of the company's first
three-wheeled trucks. Other candidates for a model name included Sumera-Go,
Tenshi-Go and more.[7]
Officially, the company states that
The name was also associated with Ahura Mazda (God of Light), with the hope that
it would brighten the image of these compact vehicles.
The company website further notes that the name also derives from the name of the
company's founder, Jujiro Matsuda.[8] The other proposed names mean "god"
(Sumera) and "angel" (Tenshi); both indicate Matsuda's strong interest in human
faith.[9]
The Mazda lettering was used in combination with the corporate emblem
of Mitsubishi, which was responsible for sales, to produce the Toyo Kogyo three-
wheeled truck registered trademark.[10]

History
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Mazda began as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd, founded in Hiroshima, Japan, 30
January 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.[11]
In 1931 Toyo Kogyo moved from manufacturing machine tools to vehicles with the
introduction of the Mazda-Go auto rickshaw. Toyo Kogyo produced weapons for the
Japanese military throughout the Second World War, most notably the series 30
through 35 Type 99 rifle. The company formally adopted the Mazda name in 1984,
though every automobile sold from the beginning bore that name. The Mazda
R360 was introduced in 1960, followed by the Mazda Carol in 1962.
Mazda Cosmo Sport

Beginning in the 1960s, Mazda was inspired by the NSU Ro 80 and decided to put a
major engineering effort into development of the Wankel rotary engine as a way of
differentiating itself from other Japanese auto companies. The company formed a
business relationship with German company NSU and began with the limited-
production Cosmo Sport of 1967, and continuing to the present day with the Pro
Mazda Championship, Mazda has become the sole manufacturer of Wankel-type
engines for the automotive market, mainly by way of attrition (NSU and Citroën both
gave up on the design during the 1970s, and prototype Corvette efforts by General
Motors never made it to production.)
This effort to bring attention to itself apparently helped, as Mazda rapidly began to
export its vehicles. Both piston-powered and rotary-powered models made their way
around the world. The rotary models quickly became popular for their combination of
good power and light weight when compared to piston-engined competitors that
required heavier V6 or V8 engines to produce the same power. The R100 and the
RX series (RX-2, RX-3, and RX-4) led the company's export efforts.
During 1968, Mazda started formal operations in Canada (MazdaCanada) although
Mazdas were seen in Canada as early as 1959. In 1970, Mazda formally entered the
American market (Mazda North American Operations) and was very successful
there, going so far as to create the Mazda Rotary Pickup (based on the conventional
piston-powered B-Series model) solely for North American buyers. To this day,
Mazda remains the only automaker to have produced a Wankel-powered pickup
truck. Additionally, it is also the only marque to have ever offered a rotary-powered
bus (the Mazda Parkway, offered only in Japan) or station wagon (within the RX-
3 and RX-4 lines for certain markets). After nine years of development, Mazda finally
launched its new model in the U.S. in 1970.[12]
Mazda's rotary success continued until the onset of the 1973 oil crisis. As American
buyers (as well as those in other nations) quickly turned to vehicles with better fuel
efficiency, the relatively thirsty rotary-powered models began to fall out of favor.
Combined with being the least-efficient automaker in Japan (in terms of productivity),
inability to adjust to excess inventory and over-reliance on the U.S. market, the
company suffered a huge loss in 1975.[13] An already heavily indebted Toyo Kogyo
was on the verge of bankruptcy and was only saved through the intervention of
Sumitomo keiretsu group, namely Sumitomo Bank, and the company’s
subcontractors and distributors.[14][15] However, the company had not totally turned its
back on piston engines, as it continued to produce a variety of four-cylinder models
throughout the 1970s. The smaller Familia line in particular became very important to
Mazda's worldwide sales after 1973, as did the somewhat larger Capella series.
Mazda RX-7 (first generation)

Mazda refocused its efforts and made the rotary engine a choice for the sporting
motorist rather than a mainstream powerplant. Starting with the lightweight RX-7 in
1978 and continuing with the modern RX-8, Mazda has continued its dedication to
this unique powerplant. This switch in focus also resulted in the development of
another lightweight sports car, the piston-powered Mazda MX-5 Miata (sold as the
Eunos and later Mazda Roadster in Japan), inspired by the concept 'jinba ittai'.
Introduced in 1989 to worldwide acclaim, the Roadster has been widely credited with
reviving the concept of the small sports car after its decline in the late 1970s.
Partnership with Ford Motor Company
From 1974 to 2015, Mazda had a partnership with the Ford Motor Company, which
acquired a 24.5% stake in 1979, upped to a 33.4% ownership of Mazda in May 1995.
[16]
 Under the administration of Alan Mulally, Ford gradually divested its stake in
Mazda from 2008 to 2015, with Ford holding 2.1% of Mazda stock as of 2014 [17] and
severing most production as well as development ties.

From 2007 to 2015, Mazda used the 3.5 L MZI Ford Cyclone Engine in Mazda CX-9 models.

This partnership with Ford began owing to Mazda's financial difficulties during the

1960s. Starting in 1979 by expanding their 7 percent financial stake to 24.5%, Ford
expanded an existing partnership with Mazda, resulting in various joint projects. The
cooperation had begun in 1971 when the Mazda B-Series spawned a Ford Courier
variant for North America, a version which was later offered in other markets as well.
Mazda's Bongo and Titan cab-over trucks were sold with Ford badging in mainly Asia
and the Pacific region beginning in 1976.[18] These included large and small efforts in
all areas of the automotive landscape — most notably in the realm of pickup trucks
and smaller cars. Mazda began supplying manual transaxles to Ford in the spring of
1980.[18] Mazda's Familia platform was used for Ford models like
the Laser and Escort beginning in 1980, while the Capella architecture found its way
into Ford's Telstar sedan and Probe sports models.
During the 1980s, Ford-badged Mazda products replaced much of their own
European-sourced lineup, especially in the Asia-Pacific markets, with the Laser
replacing the Escort[19] and the Telstar replacing the Cortina.[20] In some cases, such
as New Zealand and South Africa, these were assembled alongside their Mazda-
badged equivalents, the Mazda 323 (Familia) and 626 (Capella).
Following the closure of its own assembly plant in New Zealand, Mazda established
a joint venture with Ford New Zealand known as Vehicle Assemblers of New Zealand
(VANZ), while in South Africa, Ford's local subsidiary merged with Sigma Motor
Corporation, which already assembled Mazdas in the country, to form Samcor,
although the sharing of models proved unpopular with both Ford and Mazda
customers.[21] In other markets such as Australia, however, the 323 and 626 were
always fully imported, with only the Laser and Telstar assembled locally. [22] In Japan,
the Laser and Telstar were also sold alongside their Mazda-badged brethren, but the
Festiva was not sold as a Mazda 121 on the Japanese market.
In North America, the Probe was built in a new Mazda company plant in Flat Rock,
Michigan, along with the mainstream 626 sedan and a companion Mazda MX-
6 sports coupe. Ford also lent Mazda some of its capacity when needed: the Mazda
121 sold in Europe and South Africa was, for a time, a variant of the Ford Fiesta built
in plants in Europe and South Africa. Mazda also made an effort in the past to sell
some of Ford's cars in Japan, mainly through its Autorama dealer group.
Mazda also helped Ford develop the 1991 Explorer[citation needed], which Mazda sold as the
2-door only Mazda Navajo from 1991 through 1994. However, Mazda's version was
unsuccessful, while the Ford (available from the start as a 4-door or 2-door model)
instantly became the best selling sport-utility vehicle in the United States and kept
that title for over a decade. Mazda has used Ford's Ranger pickup as the basis for its
North American–market B-Series trucks, starting in 1994 and continuing through
2010, when Mazda discontinued importing its B-Series trucks to North America, due
to costs associated with the chicken tax.[23]

Mazda Millenia

Following its long-held fascination with alternative engine technology, Mazda

introduced the first Miller cycle engine for automotive use in the Millenia luxury sedan
of 1995. Though the Millenia (and its Miller-type V6 engine) were discontinued in
2002, the company has recently introduced a much smaller Miller-cycle four-cylinder
engine for use in its Demio starting in 2008. As with its leadership in Wankel
technology, Mazda remains (so far) the only automaker to have used a Miller-cycle
engine in the automotive realm.

Mazda3.
Further financial difficulties at Mazda during the 1990s ( partly caused by losses
related to the 1997 Asian financial crisis [citation needed]) caused Ford to increase its stake to
a 33.4-percent controlling interest in May 1996. In June 1996, Henry Wallace was
appointed President, and he set about restructuring Mazda and setting it on a new
strategic direction. He laid out a new direction for the brand including the design of
the present Mazda marque; he laid out a new product plan to achieve synergies with
Ford, and he launched Mazda's digital innovation program to speed up the
development of new products. At the same time, he started taking control of
overseas distributors, rationalized dealerships and manufacturing facilities, and
driving much needed efficiencies and cost reductions in Mazda's operations. Much of
his early work put Mazda back into profitability and laid the foundations for future
success. Wallace was succeeded by James Miller in November 1997, followed in
December 1999 by Ford executive Mark Fields, who has been credited with
expanding Mazda's new product lineup and leading the turnaround during the early
2000s. Ford's increased influence during the 1990s allowed Mazda to claim another
distinction in history, having maintained the first foreign-born head of a Japanese car
company, Henry Wallace.

Mazda6.

Amid the world financial crisis in the fall of 2008, reports emerged that Ford was
contemplating a sale of its stake in Mazda as a way of streamlining its asset base.
[24]
 BusinessWeek explained the alliance between Ford and Mazda has been a very
successful one, with Mazda saving perhaps $90 million a year in development costs
and Ford "several times" that, and that a sale of its stake in Mazda would be a
desperate measure.[25] On November 18, 2008, Ford announced that it would sell a
20% stake in Mazda, reducing its stake to 13.4%, thus surrendering control of the
company, which it held since 1996.[26][27] The following day, Mazda announced that, as
part of the deal, it was buying back 6.8% of its shares from Ford for about US$185
million while the rest would be acquired by business partners of the company. [28] It
was also reported that Hisakazu Imaki would be stepping down as chief executive, to
be replaced by Takashi Yamanouchi.[29] On November 18, 2010, Ford reduced its
stake further to 3%, citing the reduction of ownership would allow greater flexibility to
pursue growth in emerging markets, and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group was
believed to become its largest shareholder. Ford and Mazda remained strategic
partners through joint ventures and exchanges of technological information. [30][31]
Mazda's first mass-produced electric car, the MX-30

On September 30, 2015, when Ford's shares had sunk to a little over 2% due
to stock dilution, Ford sold its remaining shares in Mazda.[32]
Post-partnership with Ford
In 2011, Mazda raised more than 150 billion yen (US$1.9 billion) in a record share
sale to replenish capital, as it suffered its biggest annual loss in 11 years. Part of the
proceeds were used to build an auto plant in Mexico.[33] The Mexican plant was built
jointly by the company and Sumitomo Corporation.[34]
In May 2015, the company signed an agreement with Toyota to form a "long-term
partnership", that would, among others, see Mazda supply Toyota with fuel-efficient
SkyActiv gasoline and diesel engine technology in exchange for hydrogen fuel cell
systems.[35]

Marques

Japanese Mazda dealership in Saitama, Japan

Mazda Motors square symbol based on Sumitomo family crest, and is an affiliated company of
the Sumitomo Group

Autozam logo

Mazda tried using a number of different marques in the Japanese (and occasionally

Australian) markets in the 1990s, including Autozam, Eunos, and ɛf̃ ini. This effort was
phased out before the decade was over. The motivation was brought on by market
competition from other Japanese automakers efforts in offering vehicles at multiple
Japanese dealership networks offered by Toyota, Nissan, and Honda. Mazda's
implementation of brand diversification reflected a Japanese engineering philosophy,
called Kansei engineering, which was used as an advertising slogan in North
America. This selective marketing experiment was ended in the mid-1990s due to
economic conditions, largely attributed to the collapse of the Japanese asset price
bubble in 1991.
This diversification stressed the product development groups at Mazda past its limits.
Instead of having a half-dozen variations on any given platform, developers were
asked to work on dozens of different models and consumers were confused as well
by the explosion of similar new models. One of the oddest sub-marques was M2,
used on three rare variants of the Eunos Roadster (the M2-1001, M2-1002 and M2-
1028) and one of the Autozam AZ-1 (M2-1015). M2 even had its own avant-garde
company headquarters, but was shut down after a very short period of operation.
Today, the former marques no longer exist in Japan as sales channels.
The Carol was sold at the Autozam store (which specialized in small cars), but it now
sold with the Mazda marque, not as the Autozam Carol as it once was.
In early 1992 Mazda planned to release a luxury marque, Amati, to
challenge Acura, Infiniti, and Lexus in North America, which was to begin selling in
late 1993. The initial Amati range would have included the Amati 500 (which became
the Eunos 800 in Japan and Australia, Mazda Millenia in the U.S., and Mazda Xedos
9 in Europe), a rebadged version of the Mazda Cosmo and the Amati 1000 (a rear-
wheel drive W12 successor to the Mazda Luce). The Amati marque was eventually
scrapped before any cars hit the market. It is perhaps just a curiosity, but "Amati"
happens to be an anagram of "Miata"
In Europe, the Xedos name was also associated with the Mazda Xedos 6, the two
models were in production from 1992 until 1997. The Xedos line was marketed under
the Mazda marque, and used the Mazda badge from the corresponding years.
Past emblems
Years Symbol Description

1934– The first registered corporate logo, which appeared on three-wheel trucks
1936 in 1936.

The first stylized branding. The three mountains (representing Hiroshima)

1936– also form the Latin alphabet letter M, which is duplicated three times for
1962 "Mazda Motor Manufacturer". The long side extensions represent wings
for agility and speed.

1962– Symbol and corporate mark as seen on most Mazda cars from the Mazda
1975 R360 until 1975.

Between 1975 and 1991, Mazda did not have an official symbol, only a
stylized version of its name; the previous blue "m" symbol was still used
1975–
in some dealerships up until the 1980s, but later on a plain blue square
present
next to the Mazda name was often used on dealer signs and
documentation.

1991– In 1991, Mazda adopted a corporate symbol which was to represent a sun
1992 and a flame standing for heartfelt passion. This is commonly referred to in
 Mazda enthusiast circles as the "cylon" logo.[36]

Shortly after the release of the new symbol, the design was smoothed out
1992– to reduce its similarity to Renault's. This is sometimes referred to as the
1997 "eternal flame" logo. It also represented the design of the rotary
engine that Mazda was famous for.

Leadership
 Jujiro Matsuda (1921–1951)
 Tsuneji Matsuda (1952–1970)
 Kouhei Matsuda (1970–1977)
 Yoshiki Yamasaki (1977–1984)
 Kenichi Yamamoto (1984–1987)
 Masanori Furuta (1987–1991)
 Yoshihiro Wada (1991–1996)
 Henry Wallace (1996–1997, appointed by Ford Motor
Company, first non-Japanese CEO of a Japanese
automaker)
 James E. Miller (1997–1999)
 Mark Fields (1999–2002)
 Lewis Booth (2002–2003)
 Hisakazu Imaki (2003–2008)
 Takashi Yamanouchi (2008–2013)
 Masamichi Kogai (2013–present)

Markets
North America is Mazda's biggest market.[37] Mazda's market share in U.S. fell to a 10-
year low in 2016 at 1.7 percent[38] Mazda's brand loyalty was 39 percent in 2016,
below the industry average of 53 percent.[39]

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,[40][41] as
of 2010 the vehicle is in limited trials.[42]
In 2010 Toyota and Mazda announced a supply agreement for the hybrid technology
used in Toyota's Prius model.[43]
Bio-Car
Mazda is finding a host of alternative uses for a variety of materials and substances –
ranging from plastic to milk – in its vehicles, as it aims to become more
environmentally-friendly. Mazda introduced some of these innovations – bioplastic
internal consoles and bio-fabric seats – in its Mazda5 model at EcoInnovasia 2008,
at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center in Bangkok. Up to 30% of the interior
parts in the Mazda5 are made of non-biomaterial components, e.g. Poti (gobar of
cows).[44]
SkyActiv Technology
SkyActiv technology is an umbrella name for a range of technologies used in certain
new Mazda vehicles. These vehicles include
the Mazda2/Demio, Mazda3/Axela, Mazda6/Atenza, and CX-5. Together these
technologies increase fuel economy to a level similar to a hybrid drivetrain. Engine
output is increased and emission levels are reduced. These technologies include
high compression ratio gasoline engines (13.0 to 1), reduced compression diesel
engines (14.0 to 1) with new 2-stage turbocharger design, highly efficient automatic
transmissions, lighter weight manual transmissions, lightweight body designs
and electric power steering. It is also possible to combine these technologies with a
hybrid drivetrain for even greater fuel economy.

Motorsport
See also: Mazdaspeed
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. More Mazdas are raced every week than
any other car brand[citation needed] (a large part of this statement speaks to the success of
the MX-5/Miata and its widespread embrace by grassroots motorsports). In 1991,
Mazda became the first Japanese automaker to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans overall.
International competition
Mazda's competition debut was on October 20, 1968, when two Mazda Cosmo Sport
110S coupes entered the 84-hour Marathon de la Route ultra-endurance race at
the Nürburgring, one finishing in fourth place and the other breaking an axle after 81
hours.[45] The next year, Mazda raced Mazda Familia R100 M10A coupes. After
winning the Singapore Grand Prix in April 1969 and coming in fifth and sixth in
the Spa 24 Hours (beaten only by Porsche 911s), on October 19, 1969, Mazda again
entered the 84 hour Nürburgring race with four Familias. Only one of these finished,
taking fifth place.
The first racing victory by a Wankel-engined car in the United States was in 1973,
when Pat Bedard won an IMSA RS race at Lime Rock Park in a Mazda RX-2.[45]
In 1976, Ray Walle, owner of Z&W Mazda, drove a Cosmo (Mazda RX-5) from the
dealership in Princeton, New Jersey, to Daytona, won the Touring Class Under 2.5
Liters at the 24 Hours of Daytona, and drove the car back to New Jersey. The Cosmo
placed 18th overall in a field of 72. The only modifications were racing brake pads,
exhaust, and safety equipment.[46]
After substantial successes by the Mazda RX-2 and Mazda RX-3, the Mazda RX-
7 has won more IMSA races in its class than any other model of automobile, with its
hundredth victory on September 2, 1990. Following that, the RX-7 won its class in the
IMSA 24 Hours of Daytona race ten years in a row, starting in 1982. The RX-7 won
the IMSA Grand Touring Under Two Liter (GTU) championship each year from 1980
through 1987, inclusive.

The Mazda 787B, winner of the 1991 24 Hours of Le Mans race

In 1991, a four-rotor Mazda 787B (2622 cc actual, rated by FIA formula at 4708 cc)

won the 24 Hours of Le Mans auto race outright. The 787B's triumph remains
unparalleled, as it remains the only non-piston-engined car ever to win at Le Mans,
and Mazda is the first Japanese marque to have won overall at Le Mans – and only
after Nissan had closed down its World Sportscar Championship programme
and Toyota had opted to take a sabbatical for most of 1991 in order to develop its
3.5-litre TS010. This led to a ban on rotary engines in the Le Mans race starting in
1992, which has since been rescinded. After the 1991 race, the winning engine was
publicly dismantled for internal examination, which demonstrated that despite 24
hours of extremely hard use it had accumulated very little wear.
The Le Mans win in 1991 followed a decade of class wins from other Mazda
prototypes, including the 757 and 767. The Sigma MC74 powered by a Mazda 12A
engine was the first engine and team from outside Western Europe or the United
States to finish the entire 24 hours of the Le Mans race, in 1974. Mazda is also the
most reliable finisher at Le Mans (with the exception of Honda, which has entered
only three cars in only one year), with 67% of entries finishing. Mazda will return to
prototype racing in 2005 with the introduction of the Courage C65 LMP2 car at
the American Le Mans Series race at Road Atlanta. This prototype racer uses the
Renesis Wankel from the RX-8.
Mazdas have also enjoyed substantial success in World Land
Speed competition, SCCA competition, drag racing, pro rally competition
(the Familia appeared in the WRC several times during the late '80s and early '90s),
the One Lap of America race (winning SUV & truck in a MazdaSpeed5), and other
venues. Wankel engines have been banned for some time from international Formula
One racing,[citation needed] as well as from United States midget racing, after Gene
Angelillo won the North East Midget Racing Association championship in 1985 with a
car powered by a 13B engine, and again in 1986 in a car powered by a 12A engine.
Spec series
The Cooper Tires Atlantic Championship powered by Mazda is a North
American open wheel racing series. It is the top level of the MAZDASPEED ladder, a
driver development program which rewards season winners of one level with
automatic rides at the next level. Since 2006, the Atlantic Championship has been
run exclusively with Swift 016.a chassis powered by Mazda-Cosworth MZR 2300 cc
(2.3L) DOHC inline-4 engines producing 300 bhp (224 kW). The cars are capable of
speeds in excess of 175 mph (282 km/h).[47]
Formula Mazda features open wheel race cars with Mazda engines, adaptable to
both oval tracks and road courses, on several levels of competition. Since 1991, the
professionally organized Pro Mazda Championship has been the most popular
format for sponsors, spectators, and upward bound drivers. It is the second-highest
level on the aforementioned MAZDASPEED driver development ladder. Engines for
the Star Mazda series are all built by one engine builder, certified to produce the
prescribed power, and sealed to discourage tampering. They are in a relatively mild
state of racing tune, so that they are extremely reliable and can go years between
motor rebuilds.
Spec Miata has become one of the most popular and most affordable road racing
classes in North America. The Spec Miata (SM) class is intended to provide the
opportunity to compete in low cost, production-based cars with limited modifications,
suitable for racing competition. The rules are intentionally designed to be more open
than the Showroom Stock class but more restricted than the Improved Touring class.
Spec RX-7 is also a popular club racing class primarily due to the availability of first
generation RX7 cars and the low startup cost. [citation needed]

Sponsorships

Mazda's headquarters in Fuchū, Hiroshima

Mazda is a major sponsor to several professional sports teams, including:

 Hometown teams:
o Sanfrecce Hiroshima (J. League): Originally known
as Toyo Kogyo Soccer Club and founded in 1938, it
was owned directly by Mazda until 1992 when
Mazda reduced its share to professionalize the club
for the new J. League.
o Hiroshima Toyo Carp (Nippon Professional
Baseball): The "Toyo" part of the team's name is in
honor of Mazda's part-ownership of the team since
1968 (when Mazda was still known as Toyo Kogyo).
The Matsuda family, descended from the founder of
Mazda, holds the majority share in team ownership.
 Teams abroad:
o North Melbourne Football Club (Australian Football
League)
o ACF Fiorentina (Italian football league – Serie A)
 o Nakhon Ratchasima (Thai football league – Thai
League)
The company also sponsors various marathon and relay race events in Japan, such
as the Hiroshima International Peace Marathon and the Hiroshima Prefectural Ekiden
Race, along with numerous other sporting and charity endeavors
in Hiroshima and Hofu.[48] Mazda was also the league sponsor for the now-
defunct Australian Rugby Championship.
Mazda also maintains sponsorship of the Laguna Seca racing course in California,
going so far as to use it for its own automotive testing purposes as well as the
numerous racing events (including several Mazda-specific series) that it hosts – as
well as for the 2003 launch of the Mazda RX-8.[49]
Mazda also sponsors the Western New York Flash, a professional women's soccer
team that plays in the WPA and has some of the best players in the world, including
world player of the year.[50]
Mazda has been a sponsor of Club Deportivo Universidad Católica's basketball team
of the Liga Nacional de Básquetbol de Chile.[51]

Marketing
Mazda's past advertising slogans included: "The more you look, the more you like"
(1970s to early 1980s); "Experience Mazda" (mid-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 (1990–1995);
"Passion for the road" (1996); "Get in. Be moved." (1997–2000). Another marketing
slogan was "Sakes Alive!", for its truck line.
Since 2000, Mazda has used the phrase "Zoom-Zoom" to describe what it calls the
"emotion of motion" that it claims is inherent in its cars. [52] Extremely successful and
long-lasting (when compared to other automotive marketing taglines), the Zoom-
Zoom campaign has now spread around the world from its initial use in North
America.[53]
The Zoom-Zoom campaign has been accompanied by the "Zoom-Zoom-Zoom" song
in many television and radio advertisements. The original version, performed by Jibril
Serapis Bey (used in commercials in Europe, Japan and South Africa), was recorded
long before it became the official song for Mazda as part of a soundtrack to the
movie Only The Strong (released in 1993). The Serapis Bey version is a cover of a
traditional Capoeira song, called "Capoeira Mata Um". In 2010, its current slogan is
"Zoom Zoom Forever". The longer slogan (Used in TV ads) is "Zoom Zoom, Today,
Tomorrow, Forever".
Early ads in the Zoom-Zoom campaign also featured a young boy (Micah Kanters)
whispering the "Zoom-Zoom" tagline.[54]
Since 2011, Mazda has still used the Zoom-Zoom tagline in another campaign called
"What Do You Drive?". The punchline for this is "At Mazda, we believe because if it's
not worth driving, it's not worth building. We build Mazdas. What do you drive?".
In 2015, Mazda had launched a new campaign under a new tagline, "Driving
Matters", coinciding with the release of the redesigned MX-5. [55] This campaign was
meant to solidify Mazda's "Zoom Zoom" slogan. A 60-second long advertisement
titled "A Driver's Life", coincided with the new tagline on the following week.

See also

 Companies portal

 List of Mazda engines

 List of Mazda facilities
 List of Mazda platforms
 List of Mazda vehicles

References
1. ^ Jump up to:      "Consolidated Financial
a b c

Results"  (PDF).  mazda.com/investors. Retrieved June 21,2011.

2. ^ Tajitsu, Naomi.  "Toyota takes stake in Mazda, links up for $1.6
billion U.S. plant".  Reuters. Retrieved December 14,  2019.
3. ^ "MAZDA:Share Data – Stock and Bond
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4. ^ "Offices Archived October 7, 2009, at the Wayback Machine."
Mazda. Retrieved on October 29, 2009.
5. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original  on April 18, 2008.
Retrieved  July 31,2016.
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without double counts world ranking of manufacturers year
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8. ^ "MAZDA: Mazda-Go 3-wheeled trucks | Great Cars of
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Corporation, January 30, 1990, p.  73
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9,  2018.
11. ^ Corporate Financing and Governance in Japan: The Road to the
Future – page 153, By Takeo Hoshi, Anil Kashyap
12. ^ Asian Firms: History, Institutions and Management – page 24, By
Frank B. Tipton
13. ^ Corporate Financing and Governance in Japan: The Road to the
Future – page 153 By Takeo Hoshi, Anil Kashyap; Asian Firms:
History, Institutions and Management – page 24, By Frank B.
Tipton
14. ^ Doner, Richard F. (1991),  Driving a Bargain: Automobile
Industrialization and Japanese Firms in Southeast Asia, Berkeley,
Los Angeles, and Oxford: University of California, p. 294,  ISBN  0-
520-06938-2
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High Technology – page 139 By Daniel I. Okimoto
16. ^ "Mazda Annual Report 2017"  (PDF). Mazda Motor Corporation.
p.  59. Archived from  the original  (PDF)  on January 21, 2018.
Retrieved  January 20,  2018.
17. ^ Stock and Bond Information, Mazda, March 31, 2014
18. ^ Jump up to:    Mazda Annual Report 1980, Hiroshima, Japan: Toyo
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Kogyo Co., Ltd., March 1981, p.  3

19. ^ "Family tree bears fruit", Christopher de Fraga,The Age, 1 June
1984, page 18
20. ^ "Telstar should keep Ford on top", Christopher de Fraga,The
Age, June 14, 1983, page 18
21. ^ "Ford, Mazda Zoom Apart". CAR. South Africa. September 1,
2002.
22. ^ Australia Welcomes The 'new' Migrants, The Age, June 16,
1986, page 43
23. ^ "Mazda Kills B-Series Pickup – Automotive News & Car Rumors
at Automobile Magazine". Rumors.automobilemag.com.
September 16, 2009. Archived from the original  on June 30, 2010.
Retrieved  June 28,  2010.
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Mazda?".  Business Week. Archived from  the original on October
14, 2008. Retrieved  October 12,  2008.
26. ^ "Ford to Sell 20% of stake in Mazda " Stuff going on in the
world". Miscstuff.wordpress.com. November 18, 2008.
Retrieved  May 7, 2009.
27. ^ Henry, Jim (November 24, 2008).  "Ford Sells Controlling Stake
in Mazda". CBS News. Retrieved July 3, 2016.
28. ^ Chang-Ran Kim (November 18, 2008).  "Ford abandons Mazda
control with 20 percent stake sale". Reuters. Retrieved February
4,  2014.
29. ^ "Ford, Trying to Raise Cash, Sells Stake in Mazda". New York
Times. November 18, 2008.
30. ^ "Ford to Change Stake in Mazda". Ford Motor Company.
November 18, 2010. Retrieved March 9, 2011.
31. ^ Taniguchi, Takako (October 18, 2010).  "Sumitomo Mitsui To
Overtake Ford as Mazda's Top Shareholder, Chairman Says".
Bloomberg. Retrieved February 4,  2014.
32. ^ "Ford sells remaining stake in Mazda". Nikkei. November 13,
2015. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
33. ^ Mukai, Anna; Hagiwara, Yuki. "Mazda's Record Share Sale to
Help Boost Capital After Losses".  bloomberg.com.
Retrieved  September 3,  2015.
34. ^ "UPDATE 1-Mazda, Sumitomo to build Mexico car plant -Nikkei".
Reuters. Retrieved February 4,  2014.
35. ^ "Toyota, Mazda form partnership to share technologies, confront
cost challenges". Automotive News. May 13, 2015. Retrieved  April
17, 2016.
36. ^ "Autotrader – page unavailable".  www.autotrader.com.
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37. ^ Greimei, Hans (February 2, 2017). "Mazda profit falls 71% on
foreign exchange losses". Automotive News europe.
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38. ^ Cain, Timothy.  "Mazda Wants 2 Percent U.S. Market Share, But
Not Just Any Ol' 2 Percent Market Share (15 May 2017)".  The
Truth about Cars. Retrieved  May 30, 2017.
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solution".  Automotive News. Retrieved  May 30, 2017.
40. ^ Alan Ohnsman (October 27, 2007). "Nissan, Honda Seek Edge
With Low-Emission Cars at Tokyo Show". Bloomberg.
Retrieved  March 29,  2010.
 41. ^ Chas Hallet (August 28, 2008). "Mazda plans Volt
rival".  Autocar. Retrieved May 7,2009.
42. ^ "Mazda Delivers Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid to Iwatani
Corporation for use in Kyushu"  (Press release). Mazda. January
13, 2010. Retrieved  March 29,  2010.
43. ^ "TMC and Mazda Agree to Hybrid System Technology
License"  (PDF)  (Press release). Toyota & Mazda. March 29, 2010.
Retrieved  March 29,  2010.
44. ^ "Bioplastic, Research, Environmentally | Fabric and consoles in
Mazda". bioplastics24.com. May 1, 2006. Archived from  the
original  on December 3, 2008. Retrieved May 7,  2009.
45. ^ Jump up to:a b "The Rotary Club", Don Sherman, Automobile
Magazine, February 2008, pp 76–79
46. ^ "daytona rx5". Mazdarx5.com. Archived from the original  on July
14, 2011. Retrieved  September 29,  2010.
47. ^ "Champ Car Atlantic News". Champcaratlantic.com.
Retrieved  September 29,2010.[permanent dead link]
48. ^ MAZDA:Basic Idea on Community and Social Contributions |
With Communities and Society Archived September 17, 2008, at
the Wayback Machine
49. ^ "Track Sponsors". Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Archived
from the original  on December 31, 2004.
50. ^ Marta Vieira da Silva
51. ^ Universidad Católica presento cinco refuerzos para la Liga
Nacional de Básquetbol 2016-2017 El Deportero, 30 September
2016. Accessed 8 April 2020. (in Spanish)
52. ^ "Ford Motor Company – Featured Story – Mazda Challenges
Consumers in Zoom-Zoom Contest". Media.ford.com. Archived
from the original  on April 22, 2008. Retrieved September
29, 2010.
53. ^ "What's Zoom Zoom  ? | Mazda Spirit". MAZDA.
Retrieved  September 29,  2010.
54. ^ "Interview with Micah Kanters". Shufflingdead.com. September
10, 2004. Archived from the original  on May 28, 2010.
Retrieved  June 28,  2010.
55. ^ Nelson, Gabe (May 21, 2015). "Mazda's new mantra: 'Driving
Matters'".  Automotive News. Retrieved  July 22,  2015.

External links
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media related to Mazda.

 Mazda Global Web Site – includes links to Mazda

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ISNI: 0000 0001 0729 015X

LCCN: no90012014

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WorldCat Identities: lccn-no90012014
Categories: 
 Mazda
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  Truck manufacturers of Japan
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