Mazda Premacy |
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Wikipedia: Mazda Premacy
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History
The following section is an excerpt from Wikipedia's Mazda Premacy page on 20 May 2018, text available via the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
The Mazda Premacy is a compact MPV that was built by the Japanese manufacturer Mazda from 1999 to 2017.
The first generation Premacy was built in Japan and exported to Europe and Asia. A re-badged version was sold by Ford in a few Asian markets (including Japan) as the Ford Ixion or Ford MAV.
The second generation onward is sold outside Japan as the Mazda5. Ford Lio Ho in Taiwan, which assembles Mazda5 for the local market, adapted a re-badged version as the Ford i-MAX in 2007.
The first generation Premacy was a two- or three-row, five- or seven-passenger vehicle, while the second generation adds a third row of seats for up to six passengers in American form, and seven passengers outside the United States. Both generations feature near-flat floors, folding or removable second row, and fold-flat rear seats.
First generation (1999–2004)
The first generation Mazda Premacy was unveiled on 9 March 1999 at the 1999 Geneva Motor Show. When released in April 1999, the Mazda Premacy was one of the least expensive seven-seaters available on the market. The 1999 Premacy used Mazda's CP platform. It was available with either front or all wheel drive and was equipped with four-speed automatic transmission. As the Premacy was based on a sedan platform, it was less modular than some of its adversaries such as the Opel Zafira and Toyota Ipsum and was therefore relatively easy to maneuver. The second and third row seats could be folded and removed as on many other minivans.
This generation Premacy was also sold in some Asian markets as the Ford Ixion.
The first generation Premacy is still manufactured by China's FAW Haima Automobile where it is called the Haima Freema.
Second generation (2004–2010)
The new model has been for sale since 7 February 2005 in Japan and mid 2005 in export markets. It is now sold as the Mazda5 in all markets except Japan. While classified by Mazda as a mid-sized wagon, it competes with other vehicles classed as Compact MPVs in Europe, and is viewed as a mini-minivan in the United States. It is based on Ford's global C1 platform, meaning it shares many parts with the Mazda3. The Mazda5 replaced the Mazda MPV as Mazda's minivan offering in most export markets.
The Mazda5's closest relative is the European compact MPV, Ford Focus C-MAX, though the Mazda5 uses minivan-style sliding doors in the rear while the Ford has four conventional front-hinged doors. This version of the vehicle was also introduced for sale in the United States, making it the first compact minivan in that market since the 1994 Mitsubishi Expo (in the United States) and 1995 Nissan Axxess (in Canada). The Mazda5 is marginally larger than the 1984–1989 Toyota Van. Competition joined the North American MPV market in 2006 with Mercedes-Benz's B200 (in Canada and Mexico) and in 2007 Kia Motors followed suit with the 2007 Kia Rondo (in the United States and Canada).
In North America, due to safety regulations, the Mazda5 fits six passengers using three rows of seats, with two seats per row. Elsewhere, it is sold as a seven-seater using Mazda's "Karakuri Seating System", which means the car has three rows of two seats, with the seventh seat a fold away jump seat in the centre of the middle row. The Mazda5 has three-point seat belts on all seven seats.
The middle row of seats recline and slide front-to-rear, and fold flat. The rear row also folds flat.
Third generation (2010–2017)
In Europe the new Mazda5 is offered with either a 1.8-liter four-cylinder or a 2.0-liter four-cylinder with direct-injection and Mazda’s i-stop start/stop technology, which will reduce emissions by 15 percent. Both engines include a six-speed manual transmission as standard, as well as new environmental friendly features.
For 2012 the US Mazda5 comes with a 157 hp (117 kW) 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine. A six-speed manual transmission is standard in the base model, with a five-speed automatic optional while both the Touring and the Grand Touring come with a five-speed automatic with manual mode. The third generation began production on 13 May 2010 and began sales in Japan on 1 July 2010. The Mazda5 comes in three grades: 20CS, 20E, and 20S. The base model CS does not include i-stop.
| Date | Article | Author/Source |
|---|---|---|
| 13 September 2007 | Freshened Mazda5 Now Available In Japan | Anthony Fontanelle |
| 18 September 2007 | Mazda 5 Redesigned For Su-Premacy | Anthony Fontanelle |
| 3 October 2007 | Mazda Rolls Out Hydrogen Hybrid | Anthony Fontanelle |