The Japanese are no strangers to small spaces. The compact house concept fashionable today around the world has long been a reality in the country’s densely populated metropoles, where living space comes at a premium. This has fuelled a culture of efficient furnishings and uncluttered simplicity.

Since day one, Mazda’s designers and engineers have applied the principles of Japanese minimalism, which celebrates aesthetics, well-being and comfort, to vehicles including the Mazda Familia and Mazda 323. And they continue to do so today, perhaps more than ever, with the Mazda2 and Mazda3. As the traditional backbone of its model line-up, compacts and subcompacts have always been a big deal for Mazda.

Its first-ever passenger car prototype was a subcompact sedan presented in 1940. Featuring generously proportioned windows and a spacious interior, it was designed to deliver the comfort of a larger class of vehicle. Although the Second World War prevented production, imaginative small car design had taken a foothold at the Hiroshima-based company and would become a central pillar of its product DNA, alongside unique powertrain concepts and a dedication to the love of driving.

Mazda RX3 Coupe, 1973

With the company focused on manufacturing commercial vehicles following the war, Mazda’s first mass-produced passenger car wouldn’t arrive until 1960, but it was worth the wait. Seating four adults despite being less than 3m long, the Mazda R360 coupé raised the bar for microcars in Japan with a loveable design, lightweight construction (at 380kg, the lightest in its class), a fuel-efficient four-stroke engine and an available automatic transmission. Both affordable and captivating to drive, it dominated the segment from the day of its launch, capturing 15 per cent of the domestic car market that year.

The Mazda Carol, which followed in 1962, first in a two-door format and then as the world’s tiniest four-door sedan, was powered by one of the smallest four cylinder car engines in history. Although similar in length to the R360, the distinctive looking Carol’s longer wheelbase and inverted rear window improved cabin space, while its sturdy monocoque body and four-wheel independent suspension made for an unexpectedly comfortable ride. Duplicating the success of the R360, the Carol was an instant hit with a two-thirds share of Japan’s microcar segment in 1962.

Mazda2

Moving up a class, 1963 saw the introduction of Mazda Familia. Designed at Bertone by budding creative legend Giorgetto Giugiaro, the company’s first compact model was eye-catching. Offered as a sedan, wagon or coupé, the practical and versatile Familia – also called the 800/1000/1200/1300 over the years depending on engine displacement – was also immensely popular, with over 400,000 first-generation units produced.

A new Familia generation arrived in 1967, and the following year it was available for the first time with a rotary engine. Known as the Familia Rotary/R100, the 100PS twin-rotor powerplant could power the 805kg vehicle through the quarter-mile in 16.4 seconds and to a top speed of 180km/h, putting it at the top of its class in performance. The R100 was also one of the first rotary Mazdas exported to Europe (alongside the Mazda RX-2), although the less expensive piston-engined Familia models were more popular. The closely related Mazda 818 compact was among these. Based on the Familia, the four-metre long 818 could comfortably seat five with an interior comparable to a mid-sized European car of the day.

Moving ahead to 1977, the Mazda 323 ushered in a new age of compacts. Offered as a three or five door hatchback and later as a wagon, the Euro-styling signalled a design revolution among Asian carmakers. Economical, lightweight and nimble, the 323 also found itself consistently at or near the top of its class in Europe in terms of reliability. In fact, two 323s drove the 15,000km from Hiroshima to their IAA premiere in Frankfurt in only 40 days with practically zero breakdowns.

It was a prophetic start for the 323, which would go on to be Mazda’s longest running – and best-selling – model to date. The next generation, launched in 1980, featuring front-wheel drive topped 1m in sales after only 27 months, a new world record. Focused predominantly on younger buyers, four more generations would follow in the 1980s and 1990s with continual enhancements to comfort, versatility and handling.

Mazd3 Skyactiv

The model never lacked for variety. As Mazda set its sight on rally racing in the latter half of the 1980s, it added powerful four-wheel drive production versions to its line-up. With the 323F (1989-98), meanwhile, Mazda offered a sporty yet family friendly five-door fastback with pop-up headlights and, from 1994, a V6. It was especially popular in Europe, with many still on the road today.

One size smaller, the Mazda 121 introduced in 1986 followed early Mazdas in being deceptively large on the inside despite its diminutive 3.5m exterior. Clever features included a sliding rear bench with a mechanism that could be operated from either the boot or the bench itself. It was also available with an electric canvas sunroof that could retract in either or both directions.

Even more practical was the Mazda Demio launched in 1996, which brought subcompact minivan-like packaging with additional headroom, variable seating and an extra-wide rear hatch. Renamed the Mazda2 in most of the world, the following generation (2002-2007) retained the clean lines while adding an e-4WD option in Japan with an electric motor driving the rear wheels to improve traction.

In 2003, after 36 years and with sales of over ten million, the 323 gave way to the elegant Mazda3, an ultra-modern compact with the same outstanding handling of its predecessor but more power. Particularly the 260PS MPS version (2006-2013), which could sprint to 100km/h in around 6 seconds and had a top speed of 250km/h. The Mazda3 represented a step up in terms of design and comfort with options like leather seats and xenon headlights usually reserved for considerably more expensive vehicles.

In the meantime, the new-generation Mazda2 that arrived in 2007 adopted a smaller, more aerodynamic hatchback look. It also dropped 100kg and improved the suspension, with a correspondingly positive impact on performance and agility. The verdict: 2008 World Car of the Year. It was also a test-bed for innovation. A limited run (100 units) battery-electric version was offered in 2012 in Japan through a leasing programme. And the following year, the company almost doubled the Mazda2 EV’s range by adding a small multi-fuel rotary engine as a range extender – a system under consideration for new EVs like the Mazda MX-30, which goes on sale September this year.

Skyactiv Technology first came to Mazda’s small cars in 2013 on the third-generation Mazda3 and a year later with the launch of the new Mazda2. Using pioneering materials and clever new technology, the completely new range of engines, transmissions, car bodies and chassis enhanced all aspects of performance, efficiency and safety.

Both models also received ground-up redesigns according to Mazda’s Kodo design language. The approach captures the movements of living creatures and the results were stunning. At the same time, Mazda took cabin ergonomics to a new level with its human-centred interior concept, which eases driver concentration and prevents fatigue while increasing passenger well-being.

The advancements in engineering continue with the Mazda M Hybrid System available on both models, significantly reducing fuel consumption. There is also the Skyactiv-X, the world’s first mass-production petrol engine with compression ignition which combines the advantages of petrol and diesel power. This technology is hidden under a sleek new Kodo exterior that helped earn the compact 2020 World Car Design of the Year.

Because inside and out, the unconventional carmaker has never ceased in its efforts to deliver the best possible small car ownership experience, whether examining the vehicle’s surfaces, manoeuvring it through a tight corner, or simply watching the scenery go by.