Mazda reaches 50-millionth car production milestone

Mazda Motor Corporation announced that it has produced its 50-millionth vehicle in Japan. It took the car brand 86 years and seven months to achieve this feat since it started production back in October 1931.

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The humble beginnings of Mazda as an automaker started when it produced its three-wheeler trucks in Hiroshima, Japan. Almost 30 years after, the brand entered the passenger car market when it commenced production of the R360 Coupe micro-mini.

Mazda began making cars 86 years ago, and now we've reached 50 million units of production in Japan. Even making 1 million cars a year, it would take 50 years to reach this milestone, showing just how long Mazda's history is.

Masamichi Kogai
Mazda President and CEO

From there, the brand expanded its vehicle manufacturing to its Hofu Plant located at Yamaguchi in 1982, which shared production duties with its Hiroshima Plant. This allowed Mazda to develop techniques and flexible systems for production that helped them grow the business.

Fast forward to today, Mazda is one of the pioneers when it comes to vehicle technology like its ground-breaking SkyActiv G engine, which saw the highest compression ratio for gasoline power plants. Even with advanced products in place, the brand still looks to push boundaries and innovate as it dives deeper into the study of biofuel.

Recently, Mazda announced its partnership with ELIIY Power and Ube Industries as it aims to develop durable heat- and impact-resistant 12-volt lithium-ion starter batteries to replace lead-acid car batteries by 2021.

The Japanese brand also aims to sell 1,660,000 cars this fiscal year, which is the final year of its Structural Reform Stage 2 medium-term business plan. Mazda also plans to establish a global production framework that will allow them to have the capability of manufacturing two-million units annually by 2024.