Mazda celebrates centenary with new special editions for 2020
Japanese marque reveals limited-run 100th Anniversary trim option, available on all key models
Mazda is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2020 with a new special-edition version of the key models in its line-up, inspired by the firm’s first production car.
The 100th Anniversary cars are painted in a pearlescent shade of white, which is contrasted by burgundy leather seats and carpets inside. The colour scheme is similar to that used for top-end variants of the R360 microcar, the commercial success of which helped to establish Mazda as a competitive mainstream manufacturer following its launch in 1960.
Additional bespoke touches for the special edition include 100th Anniversary badging on the floor mats, key fob, wheel centres, side skirts and head restaints.
Soft-top versions of the MX-5 swap their standard black fabric roof for a dark red one that matches the interior.
Models that can be specified with the new limited-run trim package include the 2, 3, CX-3, CX-5, CX-8, 6 and both the RF and soft-top versions of the MX-5.
Order books are now open in Japan and the 100th Anniversary models will arrive in the UK later this year. Production will run until 2021, when the company is set to launch its landmark first EV, the MX-30 SUV.
Mazda, originally named Toyo Cork Kogyo, was founded in Hiroshima in 1920 and moved from machine tooling into vehicle production 11 years later with the launch of the Mazda-Go auto rickshaw.
The R360, an early example of the diminutive Japanese kei car, was the company’s first commercially available production car and was joined two years by the larger P360 ‘Carol’.
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