Industry Report: How Did Mazda Go from So Cold to So Hot?

A Brief History

Before all this went down the Ford-controlled company needed to go through a metamorphosis, starting at its Hiroshima, Japan

Mazda's rise from the brink wasn't easy, it involved cutting back the salaried workforce by 20 percent, reducing the salaries of those still employed, and scuttling a quarter of the automaker's manufacturing capacity. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press)

headquarters and branching out across the globe. It involved cutting back Mazda's salaried workforce by 20 percent, reducing the salaries of those still employed, scuttling a quarter of the automaker's manufacturing capacity, and killing seniority-based promotions.

At the time, Mazda's then President Mark Fields, the architect of the turnaround plan, stated, "We are starting to see real progress. We have passion and focus and a unified vision." Incidentally, Fields left in

One of two engines lies under the hood of the 6, either a Mazda-designed 2.3-liter inline 4-cylinder or the Ford-designed 3.0-liter 24-valve DOHC V6. (Photo: Mazda Canada)

2001, after being chosen to head up Ford's Premier Automotive Group, handing the reins to Lewis Booth. Lewis Booth went back to Ford in 2003 and Mazda Director Hidekazu Imaki is currently CEO.

Not to get derailed, part of that vision was to incorporate more Ford components into Mazda's new models. While the Tribute is little more than a mildly stylized Escape inside and out, the 6 appears on the outside to be a completely unique car. Under the skin, however, lies one of two engines, either a Mazda-designed 2.3-liter inline 4-cylinder, a sophisticated little 16-valve, dual-overhead cam mill that also finds its way into the Focus, or the Ford-designed 3.0-liter 24-valve DOHC V6, also used in various stages of tune for everything from the pragmatic Taurus to soul-stirring Jaguars. Obviously the availability of such engines drove down development costs, and pushed up profits.