View source for Autozam

{{Short description|Brand of automobiles}}
{{Distinguish|Avtokam}}
{{Infobox company
|name             = Autozam
|logo             = Autozam logo.gif
|logo_size        = 150px
|type             = [[Division (business)|Division]]
|defunct          = 1998
|fate             = Defunct
|area_served      = Japan
|key_people       = 
|industry         = [[Automotive industry|Automotive]]
|products         = [[Automobile]]s
|owner            = 
|parent           = [[Mazda]]
|homepage         = 
|footnotes        = 
|caption          = 
|foundation       = 1989
|location_city    = [[Hiroshima]]
|location_country = [[Japan]]
}}
[[File:Mazdaautozam sign1.jpg|right|thumb|Autozam sign]]

{{nihongo4|'''Autozam'''|オートザム|Ōtozamu}} was a [[brand]] of Japanese automaker [[Mazda]], specializing in small cars and [[Kei car]]s, many of which were [[Rebadging|rebadged]] [[Suzuki]] models. Autozam also briefly acted as importer of [[Lancia]] vehicles to Japan.

The Autozam dealership channel is still in operation in some Japanese locations, but sell all current Mazda products.

==Overview==
In the late 1980s, Mazda began expansion of dealerships in Japan. The idea was to create "a familiar car shop in your city" (あなたの街の身近なカーショップ; ''Anata no machi no midjikana kāshoppu'') and network of dealerships, centred around small and medium-sized maintenance shops and used car dealers. In part of this brand strategy, Mazda launched of three new marques. The company created Autozam, [[Eunos (automobile)|Eunos]], and [[ɛ̃fini]], in addition to the Mazda and [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]] brands already marketed there. The name came from "automobile" and the first three letters of "Mazda" spelt backwards.

Autozam's lineup - at the time of establishment - was centered on small cars (i.e. [[Kei car]]s and [[Compact car|compacts]]). Autozam's first flagship model was the [[Autozam Clef]], a [[sedan (car)|sedan]] of [[Mazda Cronos]] lineage.

In addition, Mazda acquired the official import rights of Lancia for the purpose of supplementing the luxury car lineup. At the same time, Garage Italya also imported and sold Lancias through its own sales network. Lancia and Autobianchi brand passenger cars manufactured by the Italian Fiat Auto, such as the Lancia Thema, Lancia Delta and Autobianchi Y10, were also on sale.

The nationwide sales network was controlled by "Autozam Co., Ltd." and a regional wholesale company (Autozam Co., Ltd.).

Autozam's first sales hit was the [[Mazda Carol#Second generation (1989–1994)|second-generation Carol]], which became popular with young female buyers, partly due to targeted advertising. The [[Autozam Revue|Revue]] and Clef models ended up redesigned to follow the character of the much successful Carol. However, the sales of Revue and Clef ended up being disastrously sluggish, as they were completely unpopular except for a few young female users.

Some of the light sports cars, such as [[Autozam AZ-1]] and the small specialty car [[Autozam AZ-3]] were also critically and publicly applauded, but did not translate to good sales.{{citation needed|date=December 2020}} For short time, Autozam imported Lancia cars to Japan as a high-margin luxury car line. Lancia sales too were disappointing, as Japanese import buyers did not like buying their cars from showrooms sharing space with the cheerful and cute [[Autozam Carol]].

As a result, there was no Autozam product that was profitable except for the second generation Carol. Even the future Carol models were not as popular as the 2nd generation because it became a half-finished retro-feature concept with a slightly regressed fancy flavor when it was fully remodelled in the 3rd generation. {{citation needed|date=December 2020}}

Among the Mazda 5 channel dealers, where the core model Cronos ended in a big failure, only the [[Mazda RX-7#Third generation (FD3S)|éfini RX-7]] was really popular. The sales of the best-selling [[Ford Festiva]] plummeted after the full model change, as with Autozam Carol. Autozam had become seriously unprofitable, even more so than the Eunos store, which only product was the [[Eunos Roadster]]. This caused the management of the Mazda headquarters to be severely distressed.

==Transition to "Mazda Autozam store"==

Of the marquees created by Mazda - the so-called 5-channel system - Autozam name was one of the few that survived. But in 1998, certain standards were set for the dealership size and sales of Autozam stores nationwide.

The dealerships were changed to "Mazda Autozam store" and started selling the products under the parent company Mazda name. At first, these dealerships mainly sold the [[Mazda Familia|Familia]], [[Mazda Bongo|Bongo]] and the [[Mazda Premacy|Premacy]]. In addition, the Mazda-Autozam dealerships started [[OEM]] sales of [[Suzuki]] automobiles.

During the channel reorganization period, the Autozam store, which could not be transferred to the Mazda Autozam store, handled only light cars and Demio with the sign as it was, but as new models, AZ-Offroad and Laputa are sold together with the Mazda Autozam store.

After these two cars, new models were no longer introduced to the "Autozam store", and in order to handle the new models after that, it was necessary to move to the Mazda Autozam store.

Stores that did not meet the standards returned their dealership rights without being given the right to sell new models. As a result, by the early 2000s, about 900 Autozam stores had changed to 350 Mazda Autozam stores.<ref>Although Autozam's dealership has been returned, some stores continue to handle Mazda vehicles as distributors of local Mazda stores.</ref>

In addition, Lancia's regular import rights were returned by 1998. In 2001, Autozam Co., Ltd. and a regional wholesale company merged to form "Mazda Autozam Co., Ltd.", and one company nationwide controlled the sales network.

After that, we started handling [[Mazda3|Axela]] in 2003 and [[Mazda MPV|MPV]], [[Mazda Tribute|Tribute]], and Bongo Friendee in March 2004. Other Mazda channels (Mazda store, Mazda éfini store) are now handling [[Mazda Carol|Carol Spiano]], [[Mazda AZ-Wagon|AZ-Wagon]], and [[Mazda Scrum|Scrum]], which were exclusive to Autozam, and the differentiation from other sales channels has disappeared.

From April 2016, we will start handling [[Mazda6|Atenza]], [[Mazda MX-5|Roadster]], [[Mazda Familia Van|Familia Van]], and [[Mazda Titan|Titan]], which are the top models of Mazda vehicles that have not been sold so far.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXLASDZ26H32_W6A220C1EAF000/ |title = マツダ、全店で全車種取り扱い 販路を1系列に集約: 日本経済新聞| date=26 February 2016 }}</ref> As a result, although the name of the Mazda Autozam store remains, it has become a de facto unification of domestic sales channels. As a result, "Mazda Autozam Co., Ltd." has suspended its operations, and Mazda itself and the Mazda éfini and Mazda stores in each region will supervise and manage the nationwide sales network.{{citation needed|date=December 2020}}

==Autozam models==
The following vehicles were part of the Autozam brand. Those that were rebadged versions are noted in parentheses.
* 1990–1998 [[Autozam Carol]] [[keicar]] (rebodied [[Suzuki Alto]])
* 1990–1994 [[Autozam Revue]] [[subcompact car]] ([[Mazda 121]])
* 1990–1997 [[Autozam Scrum]] [[mini MPV]] ([[Suzuki Carry]])
* 1991–1998 [[Autozam AZ-3]] [[coupé]] ([[Mazda MX-3]])
* 1992–1993 [[Autozam Clef]] [[sedan (car)|sedan]] ([[Mazda Cronos]])
* 1992–1994 [[Autozam AZ-1]] [[Mid-engine design|mid-engine]] [[sports car]] ([[Suzuki Cara]])
* 1994–1997 [[Suzuki Wagon R|Autozam AZ-Wagon]] [[station wagon]] ([[Suzuki Wagon R]], later sold as a Mazda)

The Mazda AZ-Wagon continued to use the "AZ" name until 2003, while the [[Mazda AZ-Offroad]] [[mini SUV]] (a rebadged [[Suzuki Jimny]]) was introduced in 1998, continuing to carry on Autozam's naming conventions.

{{gallery | width = 200 | height = 130
|File:Mazda Carol 001.JPG|Autozam Carol
|File:1994 Mazda 121 (DB Series 2) 1.3 sedan (2009-06-06).jpg|Autozam Revue
|File:Autozam Scrum van 207.JPG|Autozam Scrum
|File:Autozam AZ-3 front.JPG|Autozam AZ-3
|File:Autozam Clef.JPG|Autozam Clef
|File:Autozam AZ-1 001.JPG|Autozam AZ-1
|File:Autozam AZ-Wagon 001.JPG|AZ-Wagon
|File:Mazda AZ-Offroad 001.JPG|Mazda AZ-Offroad
}}

==Lancia imports==

Autozam locations also briefly sold [[Lancia]] products to Japanese buyers. The vehicles sold are listed below. Of the Lancia products sold, only the top level [[Lancia Thema|Thema]] didn't comply with Japanese Government exterior and engine displacement [[Vehicle size class#Japan|regulations]] to encourage sales, giving Japanese buyers who visited Autozam locations an alternative to the [[Autozam Clef]], which also exceeded width dimensions.<ref>{{cite book | date= 1996|title=Industrial Groupings in Japan: The Anatomy of the Keiretsu |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=CgASAQAAMAAJ | via =University of Michigan |author= Dodwell Marketing Consultants |page= 265}}</ref>

===Lancia models===
*[[Lancia Thema]]
*[[Lancia Dedra]]
*[[Lancia Delta]]
*[[Lancia Prisma]]
*[[Autobianchi Y10|Lancia Y10]]

{{gallery | width = 200 | height = 130
|File:LanciaThema 3.0V6.JPG|Lancia Thema
|File:Lancia Dedra from La Spezia.jpg|Lancia Dedra
|File:Lancia Delta HF turbo 001.JPG|Lancia Delta
|File:Lancia Motor Club AGM 2010 Thame Oxford IMG 2645 - Flickr - tonylanciabeta.jpg|Lancia Prisma
|File:Autobianchi Y10 Roma.jpg|Lancia Y10
}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{commons category-inline|Autozam}}

{{Mazda}}
{{Japanese Automobile Industry}}
{{Mazda vehicles}}

[[Category:Mazda]]
[[Category:Autozam vehicles]]
[[Category:Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1989]]
[[Category:Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 1998]]
[[Category:Japanese companies disestablished in 1998]]
[[Category:Japanese companies established in 1989]]