To produce 50million motorcars in just 87 years is a major milestone in any single car company’s existence. It is an event worth celebrating, which is precisely what the company did recently at its Hofu factory, in the Yamaguchi prefecture. Yet, to understand Mazda, also demands understanding its developments over the years, which have been landmark in many ways.
Mazda began its journey as a vehicle maker producing three-wheeled trucks in Hiroshima. By 1960, it commenced production of the R360 Coupe (Kei-class city car) and made a bold entry into the passenger car market, which further underscores the impact it has made on the motoring scene. Domestic production duties have been shared between the Hofu and Hiroshima Plants. Both production techniques and flexible production systems developed at those factories have helped Mazda to grow its business. Mixed production lines are capable of producing different models on a single line, which is a breakthrough in the traditional trade-off between product variety, competitiveness and volume efficiency.
In 2016/17, the company took steps to increase its production flexibility for crossover models, in the process creating a framework capable of responding speedily to changes in market demands. The Japanese plants take the lead and rollout techniques and systems to the company’s overseas facilities.
Mazda aims to sell 1,660,000 cars this year, the final year of pursuing its Structural Reform Stage 2 medium-term business plan, and it also plans to establish a global production framework capable of manufacturing two million units annually by the end of March 2024. By expanding its production framework, cars can be delivered to customers with minimal delay.
Aspiring to create a world in which its products can co-exist sustainably with people, society and the earth, Mazda continues to enrich people’s lives through various touch points, including its high-quality vehicles, to become a brand with which the consumer feels a strong emotional bond.
Speaking personally and as a former Mazda owner, I have never felt anything less than total respect for the company. Its products occupy a series of expected moulds but all possess a useful level of Mazda-induced vitality. If you were to bestow a European equivalence to the brand, it might be with Mercedes-Benz, in terms of positive reputation. Yet, Mazda has invariably travelled its own route, rather than one more trodden, as might be evinced with its developments in rotary engineering. While there is no rotary model in the car line-up at present, bearing in mind that, with minimal modifications, the technology will operate on Hydrogen fuel most efficiently, there are still some future prospects that the company is close to revealing and it should be applauded for its efforts in that area.
In the meantime, its 2, 3 and 6 models maintain exceptionally high standards, while its MX-5 remains the world’s best-selling sportscar bar none (even aiding Fiat with its 124 Spider, by providing shared technology and manufacturing space). Of course, the hectic SUV/crossover segment is served to perfection by the CX-3 and CX-5 models, both of which have raised the bar and become the choice of the cognoscenti. You can read a recent test on the latest and most impressive Mazda3 hatchback in our comprehensive cars section.
