Mazda makes a comeback with sporty, powerful cars

I have new found respect for many brands that otherwise seem like the underdogs. One such brand is Mazda.

It has so much to offer, but we are so fixated with the same old models that we hardly give it a second glance.

That has changed over the years and today you will see many Mazda Demios and the famous Familia on the road.

What you might not have seen much of is the handsome, or is it pretty Mazda6.

This is pure eye candy and in my opinion one of the best designed vehicles from Japan.

When the word cork is mentioned I think of fine wine, when the word Toyo is mentioned I think of the popular Toyota brand and rare Toyo tyres.

Hardly does the company that founded Mazda motor vehicles 90 years ago come to mind.

Toyo Cork Kogyo Co. was founded in January of 1920 by Jujiro Matsuda in Hiroshima, Japan.

Eleven years later, production began and a small three-wheeled truck was all they had to show for their work.

Nine decades later Mazda is at the top of their game in design and innovation and is on its way back into Kenya.

Mazda may be small in Kenya, but it has bagged numerous awards for innovation and design for several of its models.

You may not remember some of their great old models unless your name is Ken or John, my two friends who would die before they bought any other brand.

Mazda’s success story started in 1967 they a developed the Wankel engine they bought from German Felix Wankel six years earlier.

They have refined it over the years and were even the first Japanese manufacturer to win the 24 Le Mans with a rotary engine.

Do you remember the Mazda 323, well I do, and there are many examples still on the road doing private and taxi services with diligence and commitment.

So good was this now basic vehicle launched in 1977 that it was voted car of the year in Japan in 1980.

It went on to win the WRC at the international Swedish Rally in 1987.

While Mazda may not be your first choice when thinking of a car to buy in Kenya it has had a cult following for decades in America and Europe since the late 70s.

The Mazda RX-7 sports, with its dual-rotor engine, was a real hit in the US in 1978.

At the recent Paris motor show they unveiled a new Mazda2.

This new model continues the Zoom Zoom branding concept that Mazda launched in 2002 with great success.

Mazda3 is another model that might be introduced here next year. It was launched and named the runner up in the 2004 European Car of the Year.

A great feat for the Japanese marque. A year later the Mazda C-Max was a finalist in European Car of the Year.

Finally in 2008 the diminutive Mazda2 was voted World Car of the Year ahead of all its Japanese Rivals.

Today, Mazda is marketed and sold by CMC Motors and while it has been an almost invisible brand, things are about to change.

The Mazda6 is set for a grand return and I can see the smile on your face already (all you Mazdarians).

This is one of the best looking saloons in the business. The Award winning facelifted Mazda2 would be a good addition to the model line-up if they can get the pricing right.

The model that should make the most sense would be the Mazda3 which took over from the Familia 323.

Its efficient 1.6 litre diesel engine should make sense to most and give the new look Toyota Corolla a reason to ponder. Unfortunately diesel is not big here due to its quality.

On top of the evolution of MZ-CD 1.6 diesel engine, it offers two petrol engines in 2.0-litre with istop –Stop/Start system and 1.6-litre displacements with either a five/six-speed manual or a four-speed automatic transmission (2.0-litre only), and two derivatives of the range-topping MZR 2.2 turbo diesel with a crisp-shifting six-speed manual transmission.