Mazda R360 (Japan, 1960-1966)

Mazda launched its first passenger car, the R360 coupe, throughout Japan on May 28, 1960. It was a period of improved income levels and changing lifestyles in Japan, with a growing demand of cars. The cars of the period even the mini cars for the masses were expensive and hard to come by. However, people still dreamed of having their own car.

The R360, benefited of a increased manufacturing efficiency that allowed Mazda to introduce models with very low sticker prices--300,000 yen for the manual transmission version and 320,000 yen for the first car in the country equipped with a torque converter.

Mazda 360 Coupe sold very well in Japan. In August of 1960, Mazda was selling more than 2,000 units per month. In December of that year the company saw record-breaking sales of 4,090 units. The aggregate production figure for 1960 amounted to 23,417 units, giving Mazda a 64.8% production share of the mini car market.