Driving experience and innovation are the fundamental pillars that have formed the backbone of Mazda’s history. One hundred years later, and in full celebration of its centenary, the firm looks back to review its most well-known milestones. Nor do they overlook what has made them different, more daring and unique. The destruction and subsequent rehabilitation of Hiroshima, after the impact of the atomic bomb of 45, they call the Mukainada spirit. All of us would value it as tenacity and sacrifice, a struggle that allowed them to get ahead thanks to the involvement of the entire population. The Mazda Go was essential during the city’s rebuilding efforts, but the firm’s first true car, with four wheels, is the Mazda R360. Its launch marked the beginning of a history of striking and out-of-the-box proposals. Without going any further, this Key Car used Plexiglas in the rear window and aluminum for some parts of the body and the engine, with the sole objective of reducing weight and improving its dynamic behavior. The exploration also led them to bet on the rotary engine and the subsequent introduction of hydrogen in this system, with the launch of the Mazda RX-8 Hydrogen RE .
Its official presentation took place at the 2003 Tokyo Motor Show, when hydrogen was a mere experiment and not one of the best alternatives to reduce CO2 emissions. The rotary combustion chamber had some disadvantages, such as high consumption and emissions, but its main strength was that it was very well suited to operation with alternative fuels. For this reason, Mazda tried a very strange element in the automotive world: hydrogen.
Early investigations resulted in the Mazda HR-X, a 1991 prototype that was powered by a two-rotor hydrogen engine. The Mazda RX-8 Hydrogen RE was able to circulate using gasoline or hydrogen. Later that concept was used again in the Mazda Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid , with more power and range. These are just some of the projects that the Japanese brand started years ago and that have helped it complete its path to electrification, palpable in the new Mazda MX-30.
