MAZDA

Following two oil crises, compact cars that helped save resources gained an economical advantage over competitors and boomed worldwide. Japanese cars in particular started to gain attention, offering high quality for accessible prices. At this point, Toyo Kogyo took a leap; the company launched a capital alliance with Ford, with whom Toyo Kogyo had strengthened ties through the supply of compact pickup trucks. Taking this opportunity, Toyo Kogyo expanded the range of items supplied to Ford to include transmission units and compact passenger vehicles. The rapid increase of exports due to compact vehicle’s boom resulted in Toyo Kogyo’s annual vehicle production volume to exceed one million units. In 1982, the company established their second major plant in Japan in Hofu, Yamaguchi, as part of their national production base. To pace with this favorable change in the business environment, Toyo Kogyo overhauled the drive system to a front wheel drive system for its better space efficiency for some of its main products, notably, Famila and Capella, known overseas as Mazda 323 and 626 respectively. Both models were highly evaluated for their fun-to-drive nature and well-balanced performance, and went on to win Car of the Year Japan. In 1984, the company name was changed to Mazda Motor Corporation to integrate the brand name with the company name.