The First Time Mazda Was Most Popular Was Also The Last: Quick Jump
We’re staying in the habit of posting less frequently on a bi-weekly basis like I outlined previously, so I can build up enough of an arsenal to release on a more regular schedule to my heart’s content and to the pleasure of you readers. That doesn’t mean however, that I haven’t stopped thinking about cars twenty-four seven.
And it also doesn’t mean that I don’t recognize Mazda’s contribution to society. It may not be the automotive giant today like Toyota and Honda but in the 1960s, it was well established. I’d covered the R360 before in a previous post regarding the car’s diminutive size, but there’s more to it than that.
Prior to cars, Mazda manufactured corks. So the pressure was on for the company to release its first device of transportation with four wheels. In turn, what followed was the best case scenario. When it launched on May 28, 1960, more than 4,500 people placed an order for one. Before the year ended, Mazda managed to sell over 23,000 R360s.
That’s a lot when you realize that the kei car was still a new idea to the Japanese population. The decade before was spent trying to figure out how to build cars, as well as rebuild the nation post-war. Minerals and materials were scarce so the objective was to give the local residents what they need without running dry. So the public response to the R360 was a BFD.
In fact, the Mazda R360 was the most popular car for most of the sixties until the Toyota Corolla came along. By production’s end, the tally neared 66k, making it relatively easy to find as a classic.
So why? One can guess it was the fact that Mazda managed to squeeze four seats into a shoe. Or that it was too cute to reject. Or maybe that there wasn’t that many kei cars choose from back then. Whatever the reason, it put Mazda on the map as a rotary powerhouse for decades to come.
It’s never been the case that Mazda wasn’t unpopular. It’s merely that other carmakers simply outpaced it in terms of resources, marketing, and appeal; leaving it to win hearts of those who dared give it a chance. A unique approach of getting from Point A to B that stands today with the Miata and the ‘Zoom-zoom’ philosophy.
Right now though, the R360 lives in my head rent free on account of its cutesy charisma that has me wondering if I need more car, even if it will only do 56 mph.
There’s nothing wrong with a need to slow down sometimes.
-TA
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