The Autozam Clef is a

mid-size Mid-size—also known as intermediate—is a vehicle size class which originated in the United States and is used for cars larger than compact cars and smaller than full-size cars. "Large family car" is a UK term and a part of the D-segment in t ...

sedan that was built Mazda for their Autozam sales channel from May 1992 until December 1994.

Description

It shared

Mazda is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Fuchū, Hiroshima (town), Fuchū, Hiroshima Prefecture, Hiroshima, Japan. The company was founded on January 30, 1920, as Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd. ...

's GE platform with cars like the ɛ̃fini MS-6 and

Mazda MX-6 The Mazda MX-6 is a Front-engine, front-wheel-drive layout, front-engine, front-wheel-drive coupé manufactured and marketed by Mazda from 1987 to 1997 across two generations. Mechanically identical to the Ford Probe, the Mazda Capella, Capella/6 ...

coupé. The word "

clef A clef (from French: 'key') is a musical symbol used to indicate which notes are represented by the lines and spaces on a musical staff. Placing a clef on a staff assigns a particular pitch to one of the five lines or four spaces, whic ...

" is a

musical notation Musical notation is any system used to visually represent music. Systems of notation generally represent the elements of a piece of music that are considered important for its performance in the context of a given musical tradition. The proce ...

, and Mazda chose it to signify that the Clef was meant to serve as a reference point by which other Autozam products would become to be known or regarded as. The Clef was mechanically related to the Mazda Cronos (626 in global markets), but featured different bodywork, and rear side window designs. The front end in particular was designed to have the Autozam corporate "face", reminiscent of the Carol and

Revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatre, theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketch comedy, sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural pre ...

. The Clef had the same width dimensions as the Mazda Cronos which shared the engine lineup. Engine size and exterior dimensions have particular significance in Japan, due to dimension regulations, where Japanese consumers pay an additional annual tax for larger vehicles as well as higher

road tax Road tax, known by various names around the world, is a tax which has to be paid on, or included with, a motorised vehicle to use it on a public road. National implementations Australia All states and territories require an annual vehicle regist ...

obligations. The Clef was Autozam's first car to exceed the compact car dimensions. The front-wheel drive Clef was only offered with a four-speed automatic transmission; the base 2.0 was also available with four-wheel drive.

In the market

As the Clef was the top level sedan at Autozam, which was introduced as a retailer of entry level products to Japanese consumers, the width dimension presented an issue in that buyers in Japan were liable for yearly taxes, and because the Clef was largely identical to other Mazda GE platform cars, Japanese buyers who were willing to pay extra taxes for a wide car from Mazda had many choices and the Clef wasn't usually the first choice. Additionally, Autozam mostly targeted young, female customers, who were unlikely to trade up from the subcompact Revue and Carol to the expensive Clef. The car's grilleless fascia was more cute than prestigious or sporty, further harming sales. Late in the production run, a version with a redesigned front bumper incorporating a grille was introduced. Called the Clef Limited-X, it was only offered for a short while and was built in very small numbers. Of all Autozam products sold at the time, only the Clef exceeded the width dimension stipulation; other Autozam products were either kei class vehicles or

supermini The B-segment is the second smallest of the European segments for passenger cars between the A-segment and C-segment, and commonly described as "small cars". The B-segment is the third largest segment in Europe by volume, accounting for 15. ...

products.

References

{{commonscat, Autozam Clef

Clef A clef (from French: 'key') is a musical symbol used to indicate which notes are represented by the lines and spaces on a musical staff. Placing a clef on a staff assigns a particular pitch to one of the five lines or four spaces, whic ...

Front-wheel-drive vehicles All-wheel-drive vehicles Vehicles with four-wheel steering Cars introduced in 1992