Mazda is an automobile manufacturer that was founded in 1921 in Hiroshima, Japan. The company was originally founded as Toyo Cork Kogyo. It is all in the name as the company was a prominent producer of cork. It would continue this production up until 1931 when it began automobile production and would adopt the name Mazda. The name Mazda originates from the company’s founder Jujiro Matsuda. The name also derives from the Asian God of wisdom, intelligence and harmony, who is known as Ahura Mazda.

The first built car was a small 3 wheel truck known as Mazda go. The company's factory to the surprise of many, was one of only few buildings in Hiroshima that survived the infamous American atomic bomb in 1945. In 1958, the company introduced the Romper model, which was the first mass produced 4 wheel truck that contributed enormously to Japan's post war reconstruction effort. In 1960, the company introduced the R360 Coupe model, which was the company’s first 2-door passenger car which came to be a great success in Japan. This success was prolonged by the Cosmo Sport 110S, which was the company's first rotary engine in which it received worldwide recognition for.

From 1979 to 2010, Ford acquired a large stake in Mazda, which allowed for significant investment to be made that successfully modernised the Asian manufacturer. The two companies currently remain in a partnership. The company reached its ten millionth car in 1985. However it was not until 1989 when Mazda would introduce the legendary MX-5 sports model, which would go on to be the company’s most successful model. The MX-5 would appear in the Guinness World Records in 2002 as the bestselling roadster of all time.

The company has an impressive track record on the production of fuel-efficient vehicles with enormous investments made from 1980 onwards. In 2007, the Asian manufacturer introduced the HyNor project that aims to provide Europe with zero Co2 emissions cars. The company is one of the market leaders in 'green' car production.