Named in part after company founder Jujiro Matsuda and partially for the early West Asian God of harmony and wisdom, Mazda, like many of its Japanese competitors, enjoys a reputation of affordable quality and reliability. Its history dates back to the 1920s and its foundation as a cork substitute and machine tool manufacturer called the Toyo Cork Kogyo Corporation. In 1931, the company expanded to make and sell a small three-wheeled truck or rickshaw called the Mazda-Go.
Following the destruction of much of Hiroshima during …
Named in part after company founder Jujiro Matsuda and partially for the early West Asian God of harmony and wisdom, Mazda, like many of its Japanese competitors, enjoys a reputation of affordable quality and reliability. Its history dates back to the 1920s and its foundation as a cork substitute and machine tool manufacturer called the Toyo Cork Kogyo Corporation. In 1931, the company expanded to make and sell a small three-wheeled truck or rickshaw called the Mazda-Go.
Following the destruction of much of Hiroshima during WWII when the brand’s surviving workshops were used as temporary hospitals, Mazda regrouped and began production of small passenger vehicles by as early as 1945. It reached a number of company milestones in the 1960s with the production of the world’s first rotary engine, which became the production Wankel engine, and the brand’s establishment in Canada.
This commitment to the less fuel efficient rotary engine had two major impacts on Mazda during the oil crisis in the 1970s. First, it drove engineers to explore more lightweight vehicles, leading them to hit on the most iconic Mazda of all time, the two-passenger MX-5 Miata in 1989. Second, it forced Mazda to seek financial stability through a partnership with Ford that lasted from 1974 to 2015.
Mazda has produced over 40 million vehicles globally and is today exported to 151 countries, including Canada, which is home to 163 dealers. It remains very much a Japanese operation, with its headquarters still in Hiroshima over 100 years later, and the majority of production taking place at the brand’s three plants in Japan — two in Hiroshima and one in Yamaguchi. Two North American production facilities are currently in operation, including one in Salamanca, Mexico, which produces the CX-3, Mazda 2 (not available in Canada), Mazda 3, and CX-30, and another operated in partnership with Toyota in Huntsville, Alabama, which builds the CX-50.
The current lineup of Mazdas reflects the fact that the company has been late to join the electrification party. The best-selling model, the all-gas CX-5 crossover, was given a mild refresh for the 2023 model year. The CX-5 sold almost three times as many models in the U.S. in 2022 as the next most-popular nameplate, the also all-ICE CX-30. Mazda’s first Canadian market electric vehicle is the MX-30. Rounding out the current lineup of SUVs are three new vehicles including the CX-50, which is based on the same platform as the CX-30 and arrived in Canada in January 2023. The midsize CX-70 will arrive later in 2023, followed by the three-row CX-90 that will replace the CX-9.
Two cars remain in Mazda’s stable: the venerable Mazda3, available as a sedan or hatchback, and the sport coupe or convertible MX-5.
Mazda Reliability
As one expects from a Japanese brand, Mazda ranks well in various reliability studies. In the Consumer Reports rankings for instance, Mazda get an overall scores of 67 putting it in the 7th spot. Similarly in J.D. Power 2024 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study, Mazda cars had 185 problems per 100 vehicles (PP100), putting the brand in 7th place.
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