Mazda, a Japanese automaker based in Hiroshima, is only one-tenth the size of Toyota. In the eyes of some people, it always has a fatal attraction. Two years ago, I wrote about Mazda in this column: "Running with the wind, who doesn't need a "miata" in life?" The charm of Mazda has been fully presented in that article, so I won't go into details here. Whenever the word Mazda is mentioned, people who prefer it always think of the unique Mazda logos: MX-5, Soul Red, ZOOM ZOOM spirit, etc.
However, to some people, Mazda looks like something completely different, an old-fashioned company that can’t keep up with the times and is obsessed with internal combustion engines. Labels such as “Mazda is behind in electrification” will dominate discussions. Looking back to the 2000s, when Toyota was gaining a foothold in the global hybrid market with the Prius, Mazda was still working day and night in Hiroshima to improve its internal combustion engine technology. Now, when Chinese automakers are transforming to electrification in full swing and attracting attention with “refrigerators, color TVs, and large sofas”, Mazda’s pure electric offensive is almost zero, and the number of products related to electrification can be counted on one hand.
It is true that Mazda is a step behind in electrification, but if it is always compared, it is difficult for even the best car companies to leave a good impression. No one is willing to fall behind, and everything is the result of weighing the pros and cons. Mazda has never had as many options as Toyota. In the past, Mazda was often in a dangerous situation where its life would hang by a thread if it was not careful, and it also experienced difficult times when the management leadership was not in its own hands. Because of this, Mazda could not make the most correct decision like Toyota. In the absence of a chance of success in hybrid technology, Mazda can only bet on the field of internal combustion engines, which it is best at, and try various ways to make the efficiency of internal combustion engines comparable to that of hybrid vehicles.
These are some of the things I was thinking about after reading "Mazda's Technology Soul: The Feeling of Driving, the Secret of Mercedes-Benz" last month. Although this may not be the original intention of the author of the book, Kiichi Miyamoto. After all, the title of the book can also tell that this is a book that mainly introduces technology. Two-thirds of the book talks about how Mazda's most famous SKYACTIVE technology was developed. SKYACTVIE is Mazda's "secret weapon" that has been developed with all its efforts to compete with Toyota's hybrid and German cars' turbocharged engines.
I am still hesitant about whether to recommend this book. People who have no patience for engines probably won't be able to read it in its entirety. It is foreseeable that the final destination of "Mazda's Technical Soul" will be either being sold second-hand when moving or being forgotten in some corner and gathering dust.
But at least, I think the existence of this book can change some of the prejudices against Mazda. By introducing Mazda's SKYACTIVE technology, Miyamoto Kiichi also presented Mazda's past to the public. If people had seen the ups and downs of Mazda's journey, those who easily judged Mazda as backward would have given a more fair evaluation. That's what I think.
By the way, because it is a Chinese translation published in Taiwan, "Mazda's Technology Soul" uses a vertical layout, which is not so easy to read and requires more adaptation. If you can overcome this, it would be great.
