A Brief Glance at Japan’s Automotive History
The automotive history of Japan can be traced way back in 1917 when Mitsubishi Shipbuilding, Ltd., or what we now know simply as Mitsubishi Motors, introduced its first wave of passenger cars. Years later, Mazda emerged with its Mazda-Go DA Type in 1931. Nissan later followed suit in 1933 when it became an established automaker. After Nissan was the Toyota Automatic Loom Works, Ltd., now simply Toyota, with its passenger car called A1 Type being released in 1935. And finally post-war Honda began establishing its name in 1946.
When placed beside its contemporary automakers, there’s no disputing Mazda’s early start in auto making.
Introducing the Mazda-Go DA Type
In 1931, Mazda established its name as a competitive automaker after first unveiling its unique creation—a three-wheel truck known as the Mazda-Go DA Type.
Mazda wanted to produce a vehicle with excellent performance and a great maximum-loading capacity to boot. The Mazda-Go’s engine was created in-house with a transmission that included a rear deferential, a reverse gear other components that were patented by the Toyo Kogyo Company, the predecessor of what we now know as Mazda Motor Corporation. The Mazda-Go’s introduction to the public managed to set in motion the complex and rich history of Japan’s 3-wheel truck market.
Details on the Mazda-Go
The Mazda-Go, also known simply as the “TCS”, referred to an open, three-wheeled truck that heavily resembled a motorcycle that had an open truck bed. These trucks were operated with the use of handlebars. They were also powered with a 1-cylinder engine/transmission combination device that was air-cooled.
It was marketed by Mitsubishi in Japan and is now known as the first autorickshaw on the market. The unique design of the Mazda-Go would later produce many design-variants including the Daihatsu Midget and the Hopestar.
Establishing the “Mazda” Name
Mazda started using its brand name when the company first introduced the Mazda-Go to the public. Before coming out with the Mazda-Go, the company was still wrestling with other name ideas like “Tenshi-Go” and “Sumera-Go”.
All these ideas were hastily swept aside when it became clear that the right action was to bring honor to the family name of Mazda’s then-company president, Jujiro Matsuda.
The name “Mazda” would later be associated with Japan’s God of Light, Ahura Mazda, as a great marketing technique. This strategy was a great way of bringing light to the image of the compact and high performance trucks, in hopes of better brand-name association.
Also, the lettering used by Mazda was combined with the corporate emblem of Mitsubishi. During this time, Mitsubishi was the company that was responsible for the sales of the Toyo-Kogyo three-wheel truck. The combined lettering would later be the registered trademark for these unique and early trucks.
Toyo Kogyo Advertising for the Mazda-Go Models
Since the early beginnings of Mazda, the Toyo Kogyo was already very much involved with how the models were advertised. On 1936, the company began to take its lead when it started the Kagoshima-Tokyo Caravan Campaign.
During this campaign, all four different Mazda-Go KC t5ypes and a single Mazda-Go DC Type was paraded on the road, covering all the 2700 kilometers that separated Tokyo and Kagoshima.
This was all done in a period of 25 days, a remarkable feat during this time that was done to promote the excellence and high performance of the vehicles in an attempt to appeal to all probable customers.
Needless to say, the campaign was a success, permanently creating a niche for Mazda in the automotive market.
Since this time, Mazda has produced hundreds upon hundreds of high performance and premium quality vehicles, easily making it one of the most popular and dependable car brands on the market. Consider this quick “Blast-from-the-Past” a fantastic way of tracing Mazda’s humble beginnings.
