Mazda 121 - story

    Round mazda one-two-one was born for the public on Tokyo's Motor Show in 1990. One year later, in spring 1991, also Europe saw this beauty. It happened so on spring Auto Show in Geneva. As soon as it blinked its lights, it provoked so enormous interest that the waiting lists arose which is in market economies very unusual. One-two-one replaced its nothing-interesting foregoer mazda 121 first generation that was produced in 1980's. Round one-two-one, now mazda 121 second generation, that these pages are devoted, was seeing light of world from 1990 to 1995.

   It does not speak of it too much and it is not too known but just one-two-one has launched a revolution in a design and an equipment of cars. Nowadays we take round shapes for granted but one-two-one was the first! in the world which came with them after long-lasting era of square cars, you try to remember of unsightly boxes 1980's… How recent cars are like, we are obliged to splendid adoption of the public for mazda 121 after its introducing on the market in the beginning of 1990's. It was the first! which initiated a trend and at present full matter of course using higher height and biggier width of vehicle leading to greater comfort of the passengers and allowing to short lenght of car without reflection on inside area. Bold cute creative design (even now, and you try to imagine to be in a time of beginning 1990's!!!) maybe a little worsens the aerodynamics but e.g. thanks to the shape of back window is not stood on it by the ride the water (who offers it now!).

    For the car of its class mazda 121 offered absolutely unprecedented features till that time - for example electrically operated car windows, a central door lock, operating of the fuel cover and a boot from the place of a driver, all at the standard equipment. Nowadays there are common already but at that time only luxury cars were so equipped. One-two-one excelled also great reliability.

    Enthusiasm of one-two-one had potential to do of it a folk car, symbol of era of 1990's, such as Mini or Volkswagen's Beetle were at one time. Reasons why was not happened in the end so fully are several. Mazda Corporation did not consider one-two-one to be its production and export priority, only rather as a completion its production. Management of Mazda roughly underestimated its potential, as well as the possibilities of sales and interest in one-two-one and of this view marketingly failed. Mazda produced it only at home in Japan and merely at much limited series (only tens of thousands for year, while the other cars of its class are common produced in hundred-thousands series for year). It was reflected in its shortage in the market at most waves interest in it and also it caused its higher sale price (except standard above-standard equipment). Another ground for its less mass is its really special and for its time absolutely shocking design. People are fundamentally conservative and some time lasted till they realized that they in fact love round shapes. Of it but it have already profited later the others… Literally all who wanted in the market at least to sustain had to begin to round. An influence round mazda one-two-one on complete automobile's world was overwhelming and to this day in fact not enough valued. It was literally a revolution. These pages want to contribute a little to knowing of these facts.

    We can say one with the tranquil conscience, mazda one-two-one has written with a golden writing into the history and into our hearts and it became the deathless legend. The legend on the wheels.