History Of The Mazda Motor Corporation

The Mazda motor corporation did not begin as a car manufacturer or even a manufacturer of motors. This company's humble beginnings were that of a cork manufacturer. The company was started by Jujiro Matsuda in Hiroshima, Japan under the name of Toyo Cork Kogyo Ltd. In 1920.

However, Mr. Matsuda had no intention of simply being a cork manufacturer forever and by 1929 the company was renamed the Toyo Kogyo Kaish and made machine tools and their first motor vehicle the tri-cycle truck which would become quite popular in China.

In 1934 the company changed names again being named this time to Mazda and making a small 8 wheeled motorized truck as well as gauge blocks and rock drills. More changes were in store for this small, but rapidly growing company, but not until after the end of World War II, that saw the destruction of part of the factory, and the beginning of an entire new era in business for the company itself.

In the 1960s Mazda became a car manufacturer in earnest putting out some of its very first models as early as 1960. Still, the company was quite new to car making and had a way to go to earn themselves a reputation as a serious contender in the automobile manufacturing market, but the 1970s would change all that, putting Mazda at the fore front of foreign automobile makers in general and Japanese auto makers in particular. In the early 1970s Mazda introduced their cars to the United States Markets the first being the RX-2 and later the RX-3.

However, it wasn't until Mazda introduce their Mazda familia which was selling well in other countries under the name of the Mazda GLC or 323 and later the Ford Protege that this company really hit the big time in North American. It also brought in a series of large rotary engine cars that became the darlings of the sports car circuit due to their speed and power. The GLC is still one of the most recognized Mazda vehicles in North America and particularly the United States and today the GLC has its own website called yourglc.com to commemorate this historic car.

Near the end of the 1970s Ford motor company acquired 25% of the Mazda corporation. Mazda continued to surge forward in the 1980s taking time to once again change their company name to the Mazda motor corporation a name it still bears today.

In 1983 The Mazda Capella or 626 was named Motor Trend's Import car of the year. In 1985 the company began introducing a series of front wheel drive cars. The Mazda motor corporation continued to do big business in both the sports car field and cars for road driving throughout the 1980s and into the 1990s. However, near the end of the 1980s Mazda started to lose much of its foothold in U.S. markets and it's European sales did not make up for the heavy loss the company sustained. In 2003, the company decided to end production of the Mazda Familia and all the cars of this family bearing different names including the GLC.

While the Mazda Motor corporation continues to manufacture cars today, this like the rest of the car companies have been hit by the current economic recession. However, don't be surprised to see a resurgence of this company in the future.