Mazda recently rolled out its first battery-powered electric vehicle and received impressive safety ratings from the NHTSA. Of course, that’s not the only new thing Mazda has made its mark with. It’s also getting set to open a car museum that will show off many vehicles from its past. Let’s look at some of the brand’s history, what vehicles you can view at the museum, and where Mazda hopes to go into the future. 

History of the Mazda brand

According to Car Buzz, the brand started as Toyo Kogyo Co, which built a tricycle truck. It was the first vehicle they produced and was known as the Mazda-Go. Toyo Kogyo eventually changed the name to Mazda.

Over the years, the brand made a name for itself through some pretty big innovations. One was in 1938 when it built a four-speed transmission, which saved about 20% of fuel from getting consumed by the engine. 

Mazda was known for producing trucks until 1960, when the R360, its first passenger car, rolled out of one of its factories. Mazda, as we’re familiar with it today, was born. 

When the brand partnered with NSU, things really started to roll with the new rotary style engines, which became a staple. In 1989, Mazda rolled out its iconic little sports car, the MX-5 Miata, which is still known today as one of the brand’s bestsellers. 

What will Mazda’s new museum offer visitors?

Mazda hasn’t revealed too much concerning what the museum will have on display. They have released a few photos, and according to those pics, there are some pretty nice vehicles lined up for your viewing pleasure, like the second-generation RX-7, which was pretty popular for a while. 

Another extraordinary find is the 1991 Mazda 787B, the brand’s first vehicle to win in a LeMans race. This car is legendary as it was the only one to compete using its rotary engine technology. It was able to outrun its competitors due to the ability to make fewer pit stops, plus it needed fewer repairs than its rivals.

Browsing through the images, you’ll be excited to find a Mazda Cosmo, otherwise known as the 110S, which was pretty popular in 1967 when the vehicles installed the brand’s iconic rotary engine. This little sports car of the time could produce 110 hp and 96 lb-ft of torque. 

According to Car Buzz, for those who can’t make it to Hiroshima to see the car museum in person, Mazda has allowed the collection to be viewed in an online format. If you can visit in person, you will be able to go on factory tours to see vehicles being manufactured while you’re there as well.

What does Mazda plan to offer in the coming years?

Mazda’s CX-60 model has started production, but we won’t be seeing it here in the U.S. Reportedly, we will get the CX-70 and CX-90 later this year. But, that’s not all Mazda has up its sleeves. They plan to head into a carbon-neutral lineup, one they hope to finish by 2050. 

To begin with, the MX-30, an all-electric crossover SUV, came out. Of course, it’s originally available in California and only slated to have a 100-mile driving range on the battery. However, Mazda does plan to expand to the rest of North America within a few years or so. 

The brand doesn’t want to use just electric drivetrains to become greener for the environment. It hopes to utilize wind, solar, hydro, and carbon-neutral technologies to power up its vehicles going forward.