MAZDA

On April 23, 1960, President Tsuneji Matsuda stood on the stage with a proud smile, just a few meters away was a bust of the former president, Jujiro Matsuda, placed as if watching over his son.

The setting was the large-scale launch event of the Mazda R360 Coupe, held in front of Toyo Kogyo’s main building. Unveiled under the gaze of many stakeholders, the micro-mini passenger car was an ambitious product kitted with Toyo Kogyo’s latest technology. The company offered this innovative, ultralight and high-performance vehicle at a very-low sticker price, bringing the dream of owning a car within the reach of the general population. At the same time, the R360 Coupe marked a memorable step for Toyo Kogyo, in that it was the very first vehicle the company introduced to the passenger car market, fulfilling their long cherished dream.

The place that Tsuneji chose for the premiere was neither the luxurious lobby of a high-end hotel nor a tourist spot full of people, but the spot near the former president’s effigy. Tsuneji saw the ceremony as an opportunity to report to his late father that the dream he was unable to achieve in his lifetime had finally come true.

Jujiro first began to dream of building a passenger car back in the prewar period, when Toyo Kogyo ventured into automobile manufacturing. Taking advantage of its high technological competence, the company released three-wheeled trucks and steadily expanded its market share, allowing Toyo Kogyo to enter the ranks of the top manufacturers in the industry.

Amid such progress and around the time Toyo Kogyo had just started to gain a footing as a three-wheeled truck manufacturer, President Jujiro harbored a grand dream for the distant future-making a foray into the passenger car market. Jujiro was convinced that the age of passenger cars would undoubtedly come. Based on his firm belief, he launched the development of a micro-mini passenger car for the masses. Jujiro was also cautious enough to prepare for the introduction of production facilities for four-wheeled vehicles. However, amid the deteriorating situation of the war, the factory came under the control of the military, forcing him to abandon research and development activities. After the war, a second chance arose, alas he had to postpone the passenger car research project, since at the time Toyo Kogyo was engaged in a fierce development race for the position of leader in the three-wheeled manufacturing industry. Shortly after in 1952, Jujiro passed without being able to fulfill his grand dream. Tsuneji, who had witnessed his father’s distant ambition first hand, promised himself that it was his mission to achieve his father’s dream and thus, had always been awaiting the opportunity to advance into the passenger car market.

Looking back, it had been about 30 years since Toyo Kogyo launched its first three-wheeled truck and there stood the R360 Coupe, perfectly embodying Jujiro’s dream of creating a passenger car accessible to all. At the same time, the coupe heralded a new beginning for the company, which was intending to make a leap to become a comprehensive automotive manufacturer focusing primarily on passenger cars. In choosing the venue to premiere the R360 — a vehicle that had made his father’s and Toyo Kogyo’s dream come true — Tsuneji could think of no place better than where his father’s ambitions and wishes still lie to this day, in front of Jujiro Matsuda’s bust.