January 30 In History: Founding Of The Mazda Car Company

Mazda's first product (Wikimedia commons)

JAKARTA - Currently, Mazda is known for its quality and affordable vehicles. But who would have thought that this automotive manufacturer was once a company that made corks in Hiroshima, Japan.

On January 30, 1920, Jujiro Matsuda (1875-1952) formed Toyo Cork Kogyo. This company became the forerunner to the birth of the first car named Mazda.

In 1931, the company launched the Mazda-Go, a three-wheeled vehicle that resembled a motorcycle with a cargo carrier at the rear. Quoting Mazda's website, because the vehicle is made by a company managed by a man named Matsuda, the name 'Mazda-Go' sounds quite fitting.

The question is, why is it spelled 'Mazda' not Matsuda? Mazda comes from Ahura Mazda, the god of harmony, intelligence and wisdom of the earliest civilizations in West Asia. Key member Toyo Kogyo interpreted Mazda as an early symbol of Eastern and Western civilization, but also a symbol of automotive civilization and culture.

Striving hard to contribute to world peace and become a light in the automotive industry, Toyo Kogyo changed its name to Mazda Motor Corporation. Mazda is also the perfect way to honor the substantial founder, whose surname is pronounced very similar to Mazda.

Launching History, Saturday, Saturday, Saturday, Saturday, 2021, plans for car development were halted during World War II and the Hiroshima bombing. In the 1950s, Mazda started making small four-wheeled trucks.

The company launched its first passenger car, the R360 Coupe, in 1960 in Japan. Seven years later, Mazda launched its first rotary engined car, the Cosmo Sport 110S.

Mazda entered the American market in 1970, with the R100 coupe, America's first mass-produced rotary powered car. In 1978, the Mazda RX-7, an affordable "top performance" sports car, made its debut. The following year, Ford Motor Company took a 25 percent stake in the company.

In 1989, at the Chicago Auto Show, Mazda launched the MX-5 Miata, a two-door sports car with a starting price tag of $ 13,800. According to Mazda, the concept car is "affordable to buy, lightweight to use, and the look of a classic roadster." The Guinness Book of World Records in 2000 named the Miata the best-selling two-seat convertible in history.

In 1991, in another milestone for the company, the Mazda 787 B won the 24 Hours of Le Mans, becoming the first rotary-powered car as well as the first Japanese-made car to do so. However, Mazda was hit by the economic downturn in Japan in the 1990s and in 1996, Ford took a controlling stake in the automaker and saved it from potential bankruptcy.

Ford and Mazda then share manufacturing facilities in several countries with vehicle platforms and other resources. In 2008, Ford, which was hit by the global economic crisis and slumped in car sales, relinquished control of Mazda by selling a 20 percent controlling stake for about US $ 540 million. In the same year, General Motors sold its stake in Japan-based Suzuki Motor.

In 2009, Mazda celebrated the 20th anniversary of the MX-5 Miata, which by then had sales of nearly 900,000. The car has also won nearly 180 major automotive awards.