Autozam
Encyclopedia
Mazda
is a Japanese automotive manufacturer based in Fuchū, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan.In 2007, Mazda produced almost 1.3 million vehicles for global sales...
diversified in the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
market with the launch of three new marques. The company created Autozam, Eunos
Eunos cars
In the late 1980s, Mazda diversified in the Japan market with the launch of three new marques. The company created Autozam, Eunos, and Ẽfini, in addition to the Mazda and Ford brands already marketed there...
, and Efini, in addition to the Mazda
Mazda
is a Japanese automotive manufacturer based in Fuchū, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan.In 2007, Mazda produced almost 1.3 million vehicles for global sales...
and Ford
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
brands already marketed there. This experiment was ended in the mid-1990s.
The Autozam marque specialized in small cars and keicars with many models being rebadged
Badge engineering
Badge engineering is an ironic term that describes the rebadging of one product as another...
Suzuki
Suzuki
is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Hamamatsu, Japan that specializes in manufacturing compact automobiles and 4x4 vehicles, a full range of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles , outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal combustion engines...
s. This is the only Mazda marque to survive the 1990s—many of the vehicles are still sold with the "AZ" prefix.
Like Eunos, Mazda continues to run dealerships with the Mazda Autozam name. These specialize in small vehicles, though all are part of the regular Mazda lineup and use the Mazda name now.
The following vehicles were part of the Autozam brand. Those that were rebadged versions are noted in parentheses.
- 1990–1994 Autozam Carol keicar (Suzuki AltoSuzuki AltoThe Suzuki Alto is a small car designed by Suzuki. Its selling points include low price and good fuel economy. The model was introduced in 1979 and has been built in many countries worldwide.-1st generation :...
) - 1990–1994 Autozam RevueAutozam RevueThe Autozam Revue/mazda 121 was a subcompact car from Mazda's Autozam marque, introduced in 1988. The demise of that marque led to the cars being renamed the Mazda Revue in some markets...
subcompact carSubcompact carSubcompact car is a North American term used to describe automobiles whose class size is smaller than that of a compact car, usually not exceeding in length, but larger than a microcar...
(Mazda 121Mazda 121The Mazda 121 name has been used on a variety of Mazda automobiles for various export markets from 1975 until 2002:* 1975–1981 — Piston engined variants of the second generation Mazda Cosmo sports car...
) - 1990–1994 Autozam ScrumAutozam ScrumThe Autozam Scrum is a kei class microvan and pickup truck sold in Japan by Mazda. Originally part of the company's Autozam marque it was first introduced in June 1989 . Mazda still sells the Scrum under its own name. The Scrum is a re-badged version of the Suzuki Carry and used Suzuki engines...
mini MPVMini MPVMini MPV is a car classification used to describe superminis or subcompacts which have taller build, fitting below the compact MPV and large MPV classifications....
(Suzuki CarrySuzuki CarryThe Suzuki Carry is a kei truck produced by the Japanese automaker Suzuki. The microvan version was originally called the Carry van until 1982 when the van was renamed as the '...
) - 1991–1994 Autozam AZ-3 coupéCoupéA coupé or coupe is a closed car body style , the precise definition of which varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, and over time...
(Mazda MX-3Mazda MX-3The Mazda MX-3 is a four-seat hatchback coupé first introduced at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1991. The MX-3 was marketed as the Mazda MX-3 Precidia in Canada, the Eunos 30X in Australia, and as the Eunos Presso, Autozam AZ-3 and Mazda AZ-3 in Japan.The MX-3 is quite popular for modification...
) - 1992–1993 Autozam Clef sedan (Mazda 626Mazda 626The Mazda 626 is an automobile that was produced by Mazda for the export market. It was based on the Japan-market Mazda Capella. The 626 replaced the 616/618 and RX-2 in 1979 and was sold through 2002, when the new Mazda6 took over as Mazda's large family car...
) - 1992–1994 Autozam AZ-1Autozam AZ-1The Autozam AZ-1, known as the framecode PG6SA, is a mid-engined two-seat sports coupé kei car, designed and manufactured by Suzuki but sold by Mazda under its Autozam brand. It debuted in October 1992 until production ceased in 1994, and was perhaps most noted for its gullwing doors...
mid-engineMid-engine designA mid-engine layout describes the placement of an automobile engine between the rear and front axles. Another term for this is mid-ship.-Benefits:The mid-engine layout is typically chosen for its relatively favorable weight distribution...
sports carSports carA sports car is a small, usually two seat, two door automobile designed for high speed driving and maneuverability....
(Suzuki Cara) - 1994–2003 Mazda AZ-WagonMazda AZ-WagonThe Mazda AZ-Wagon was a tiny station wagon based on the Suzuki Wagon R. The AZ is a reference to Mazda's Autozam minicar marque. There are in total four generations up to 2008...
station wagonStation wagonA station wagon is a body style variant of a sedan/saloon with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo volume with access at the back via a third or fifth door , instead of a trunk lid...
(Suzuki Wagon RSuzuki Wagon RThe Suzuki Wagon R is a kei car first introduced in Japan in 1993, and is still in production by Suzuki. The R stands for Recreation. It is one of the first cars to use the "tall wagon or tall boy" design in which the car is designed to be unusually tall with a short bonnet and almost vertical...
) - 1995–1997 Mazda AZ-3 coupéCoupéA coupé or coupe is a closed car body style , the precise definition of which varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, and over time...
(Mazda MX-3Mazda MX-3The Mazda MX-3 is a four-seat hatchback coupé first introduced at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1991. The MX-3 was marketed as the Mazda MX-3 Precidia in Canada, the Eunos 30X in Australia, and as the Eunos Presso, Autozam AZ-3 and Mazda AZ-3 in Japan.The MX-3 is quite popular for modification...
) - 1998–2003 Mazda AZ-OffroadMazda AZ-OffroadThe Mazda AZ-Offroad is a mini SUV, a rebadged Suzuki Jimny. The AZ in the name refers to Autozam, Mazda's ill-fated small car marque. The AZ-Offroad was introduced in October, 1998 as a 1999 model. The engine is a turbocharged 660 cc DOHC Suzuki K6A. All wheel drive is standard and an...
mini SUVMini SUVMini SUV is a class of small sport utility vehicles with a length under . This class should not be confused with compact SUV, which refers to slightly larger vehicles, from ....
(Suzuki JimnySuzuki JimnyThe Suzuki Jimny is a line of SUVs from Suzuki. The line started in 1968 and is still running.-History:The history of Suzuki four-wheel-drive cars dates to 1968. Suzuki bought former Japanese automaker Hope Motor Company which had introduced fifteen small off-road vehicles called the HopeStar...
)