Autozam

Autozam (オートザム, Ōtozamu) was a marque of Japanese automaker Mazda, specializing in small cars and Kei cars, many of which were rebadged Suzuki models.

Autozam
Division
IndustryAutomotive
FateDefunct
Founded1989
Defunct1998
Headquarters
Hiroshima
,
Japan
Area served
Japan
ProductsAutomobiles
ParentMazda
Websitewww.mazda.co.jp 
Autozam sign

In the late 1980s, Mazda diversified in the Japanese market with the launch of three new marques. The company created Autozam, Eunos, and ɛ̃fini, in addition to the Mazda and Ford brands already marketed there. This selective marketing experiment was ended in the mid-1990s due to economic conditions, largely attributed to the collapse of the Japanese asset price bubble in 1991. The Autozam dealership channel is still in operation in some Japanese locations, but sell all current Mazda products.

Autozam models

The following vehicles were part of the Autozam brand. Those that were rebadged versions are noted in parentheses.

The Mazda AZ-Wagon continued to use the "AZ" name until 2003, while the Mazda AZ-Offroad mini SUV (a rebadged Suzuki Jimny) was introduced in 1998, continuing to carry on Autozam's naming conventions.

  • Autozam Carol
  • Autozam Revue
  • Autozam Scrum
  • Autozam AZ-3
  • Autozam Clef
  • Autozam AZ-1
  • AZ-Wagon
  • Mazda AZ-Offroad

Lancia imports

Autozam locations also briefly sold Lancia products to Japanese buyers. Lancia sales were disappointing, as Japanese import buyers did not like buying their cars from showrooms sharing space with the cheerful and cute Autozam Carol. The vehicles sold are listed below. Of the Lancia products sold, only the top level Thema didn't comply with Japanese Government exterior and engine displacement regulations to encourage sales, giving Japanese buyers who visited Autozam locations an alternative to the Autozam Clef, which also exceeded width dimensions.

Lancia models
  • Lancia Thema
  • Lancia Dedra
  • Lancia Delta
  • Lancia Prisma
  • Lancia Y10
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.