() was a luxury vehicle division of Japanese automaker
Mazda
, commonly referred to as simply Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Fuchū, Hiroshima, Japan.
In 2015, Mazda produced 1.5 million vehicles for global sales, the majority of which (nearly one m ...
that operated between 1991 and 1997 in
Japan only. Its inception as a brand emerged in the late 1980s when Mazda diversified its sales channels in the Japanese market with the launch of three new
marque
A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...
s. The company created
Autozam
was a marque of Japanese automaker Mazda, specializing in small cars and Kei cars, many of which were rebadged Suzuki models. Autozam also briefly acted as importer of Lancia vehicles to Japan.
The Autozam dealership channel is still in operat ...
,
Eunos, and , in addition to the Mazda and
Ford
Ford commonly refers to:
* Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford
* Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river
Ford may also refer to:
Ford Motor Company
* Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company
* Ford F ...
brands already marketed there. This selective marketing experiment ended in the mid-1990s due to economic conditions, largely attributed to the collapse of the
Japanese asset price bubble in 1991. As a brand, encompassed most, if not all dealers formerly under the "Mazda Auto Store" dealership network established in 1959 when the
Mazda R360
The Mazda R360 is a kei car manufactured and marketed by Mazda as the company's first passenger car — a two-door, four-seat coupé. Introduced in 1960, the R360 featured a wheelbase, weighed and was powered by a rear-mounted air-cooled ...
was introduced. Pronounced like the French word ''infini'', the name is written with a
tilde
The tilde () or , is a grapheme with several uses. The name of the character came into English from Spanish, which in turn came from the Latin '' titulus'', meaning "title" or "superscription". Its primary use is as a diacritic (accent) i ...
over the lowercase Greek ''ε'' (as in ''ɛ̃''), and can therefore be assumed to be
IPA
IPA commonly refers to:
* India pale ale, a style of beer
* International Phonetic Alphabet, a system of phonetic notation
* Isopropyl alcohol, a chemical compound
IPA may also refer to:
Organizations International
* Insolvency Practitioners ...
, the pronunciation symbols taught in Japan, and sometimes used in product naming.
The marque was a
luxury
Luxury may refer to:
* Luxury goods, an economic good or service for which demand increases more than proportionally as income rises
*Luxury tax, tax on products not considered essential, such as expensive cars
**Luxury tax (sports), surcharge pu ...
-oriented brand, as opposed to the more mainstream, fun to drive Eunos brand, traditional Mazda, and entry level Autozam. The vehicles sold didn't comply with Japanese government exterior and engine displacement
regulations which classed all vehicles sold as as exclusive luxury products. The length of the MS-6 was the same as the MS-8 at . Both shared the V6 2.0 L, while the MS-6 offered the convenience of a hatchback bodystyle, and the MS-8 offered space efficiency of bench seats for both front and rear passengers and the open-air feeling of a hardtop sedan bodystyle.
The name and logo are not to be confused with several limited-edition second generation (FC) RX-7s, the "Infini" edition (marked with an
infinity sign "∞"), from the late 1980s.
From 1991 until 1997, when the dealership was integrated into Mazda locations,
Citroën products were sold to Japanese buyers, as well as Mazda's Eunos locations. Currently, there are a few Japanese Mazda dealerships that still maintain the sales channels, but sell Mazda-branded products.
Mazda Japan Efini Yokohamanishi
/ref>
Models
* MS-6 hatchback — 1991–1994 (based on Mazda Cronos sedan; Mazda 626
__NOTOC__
Year 626 ( DCXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 626 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar e ...
hatchback for export)
* MS-8 sedan — 1992–1997 (only unique model to the brand)
* MS-9 sedan — 1991–1993 (rebadged Mazda Sentia
The Mazda Sentia is a mid-size rear wheel drive luxury car that was sold by Mazda in Japan from 1991 to 1999 over two generations. It replaced the Mazda Luce nameplate on the Mazda H platform, and continued the tradition of being Mazda's larges ...
)
* RX-7 coupe — 1991–1997 (rebadged Mazda RX-7
The Mazda RX-7 is a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, rotary engine-powered sports car that was manufactured and marketed by Mazda from 1978 until 2002 across three generations, all of which made use of a compact, lightweight Wankel rotary engine. ...
)
* MPV minivan — 1991–1997 (rebadged Mazda MPV
The Mazda MPV (Multi-Purpose Passenger Vehicle) is a minivan manufactured by Mazda. Introduced in 1988 as a rear-wheel-drive model with optional selectable four-wheel drive, this was replaced in 1999 with a front-wheel-drive version with optional ...
)
* Citroën XM
The Citroën XM is a front-engine, front-drive, five-passenger, five-door hatchback noted for its hydropneumatic suspension. Manufactured and marketed by Citroën from 1989 to 2000, with a minor facelift in 1994, XM production reached 333,405 ov ...
* Citroën Xantia
The Citroën Xantia, pronounced "Zan–ti–a" is a large family car ( D) produced by the French automaker Citroën, and designed by Bertone. Presented to the press in December 1992, the car was produced between 1992 and 2002 in Europe, with a f ...
References
External links
Mazda RX-7 History (via Internet Archive)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Efini
Cars of Japan
Mazda
Luxury motor vehicle manufacturers
Japanese luxury motor vehicle marques
Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1991
Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 1997