Mazda has an interesting history. Here are some details about this car manufacturer that you may not have been aware of in the past.
The automotive company known as Mazda was started in 1920 in the country of Japan. The company's original name was Toyo Cork Kogyo Co.,
Ltd. The auto manufacturer changed its name to Mazda by 1984, which, considering the length of its original moniker, was quite understandable and a wise move. The original business plan was to make machinery, weapons and tools but switched to vehicles in the early 1930s.
The first vehicle that the manufacturer produced in 1960 was called the Mazda-Go, which was also spelled Mazdago. It was actually more of a combination of a scooter and truck than a car. It had three wheels, one in front like a motorcycle and two in back to carry the truck bed. Another early vehicle was called the R360. The R360 was a car with four wheels but it was very small. The wheelbase was less than seventy inches and the auto only weighed 838 pounds. It had two doors yet four seats. In 1962, a similar auto was made called a P360 and another version was made a couple years later which was a convertible.
Next, the automobile manufacturer produced a pickup truck called the B360. This vehicle had a 356 cc engine and leaf spring suspension. Leaf spring is different from helical because it is moved along a specific pathway. This is a fairly simple device and one modeled after archaic forms of spring action. Some estimates report that this device was first utilized in medieval time periods.
Other facts about Mazda's history include:
- Wankel engine: This rotary engine was developed by this company's engineers during the 1960s. This engine was created by Felix Wankel who was an engineer from Germany. The inventor received a patent for the device in the late 1920s but continued to refine it.
Mazda used this device which is a type of internal combustion with rotary design and became the only automobile manufacturer to use it.
- Canada and the United States of America: In an effort to be a well known car maker throughout the globe, this company opened its doors in Canada in 1968 and the United States in 1970. A pickup truck was developed to market in America called the Rotary Pickup.
- Oil crisis of 1973. In the year 1973, the oil crisis caused the price of gasoline to skyrocket. Many motorists realized they had to tighten their budgets and drive cars with higher fuel efficiency. Although the Wankel rotary engine was a high performing and popular machine, it gulped fuel a bit too much and drivers begin to seek other options.
- More economical models: To keep up with the times, the vehicles began to reflect consumers' need for fuel efficiency. Instead of giving up the high performance engines completely, motorists were instead given a choice between vroom-ability and gas sipping models.
Mazda has remained a viable and successful automobile line because it has paid attention to innovation and changing times. By designing vehicles with unique capabilities such as those with the Wankel engines, the car company made a name for itself. By changing to efficiency over power, it survived changing climates and kept itself in the game.
