MAZDA

A newspaper ad stored for over 30 years at the Vehicle Development Division reveals a key element of Mazda’s attitude toward vehicle development.

The newspaper advertisement announces the world’s first adoption of the now-familiar “pull-up” switch for the power windows of the sixth-generation Familia launched in 1985. It states that an accident in which a child got his hand caught in a power window served as the inspiration for the development. In those days, rocker switches were widely used for automobile power window systems. By pressing on one or the other side of the rocker switch, the glass window could be moved up or down. But if a child were to put his or her foot on the armrest of the door to try to lean out of the car, there was a risk that the rocker switch would be pressed accidentally and the child would get caught in the window. Although no such accident had been reported in regard to one of its cars, Mazda decided to take prompt action.

An engineer at the department in charge of automotive design who had been at the company for five years imagined over and over how such an incident would play out. Was it wrong to install the switch where a child’s foot could reach it? Was there a problem with the positional relation between the armrest and the switch? Within the department, various patterns of switch shapes and layouts were repeatedly discussed, even going as far back as considering the basic principle of what a switch was anyway? In considering different alternatives, the engineer was struck by a new idea. “A switch does not necessarily have to be something that is pressed,” he reasoned. “Would it be possible to prevent such accidents by creating a ‘pull-up’ switch?”

It was in this moment that the idea for the unconventional and innovative “pull-up” switch was born. The new design required the user to curl their finger into the depression behind the switch and drag the switch back toward them to close the window and to simply press it down to open it. This new system not only enhanced safety but also created new value by matching the up-and-down motion of the window with the action required to manipulate the switch, thereby enabling intuitive operation.

For the formal adoption of the newly invented switch system, however, careful examination was required. Great concern was expressed about the unfamiliar operation of the innovative switch, and the team had to comprehensively consider the display and appropriate layout of the switch to make it easy for the driver and other passengers to operate it. To promote the universal design of the switch, ingenuity was demonstrated in a variety of ways, including making the dent shape friendly to fingers of all different sizes and providing the surface of the switch with a non-slip finish. For the verification testing, a male employee even went as far as putting on artificial nails, which were very popular in North America at the time.

Another hurdle that the newly developed product had to clear was the issue of cost. The use of an inventive new system leads to higher component costs. For mass-produced family cars, the accumulated cost would be extremely high. However, on the basis that first priority should be given to safety—and even more so for family cars—Mazda made the decision to go ahead and employ the innovative switch system anyway. The company concluded that safety and cost were two separate issues.

When the new power window switch offering “safety” was finally introduced into the market, the overwhelming response instantly made the switch system the new international standard. A small yet world-changing improvement that was led by consideration for all members of the family.