Mazda Chantez
| Mazda | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Chantez | |
| Production period: | 1972-1976 |
| Class : | Microcar |
| Body versions : | coupe |
| Engines: |
Otto engine : 0.36 liters (26 kW) |
| Length: | 2995 mm |
| Width: | 1295 mm |
| Height: | 1290 mm |
| Wheelbase : | 2200 mm |
| Empty weight : | 480 kg |
| Previous model | Mazda Carol P360 |
The Mazda Chantez was a small car the Tōyō Kōgyō , today Mazda offered in the Japanese Kei-Car class. The coupe , available only with two doors , was launched on the domestic market in July 1972. Toyo Kogyo or Mazda began car manufacturing in 1960 with the 2-seater Mazda R360 , on the basis of which the Mazda Carol P360 and Mazda Carol P600 were created in 1962 . These models made Mazda the leading manufacturer in the kei car class in the 1960s. Due to the concentration on small cars equipped with rotary piston engines, Mazda lost more and more market shares in the kei car segment over the years. In the meantime, Toyo Kogyo had expanded its range to include the Mazda Familia series and due to the falling sales figures, production of the last kei car model Carol P360 was discontinued in 1970. However, they did not want to remain completely without an offer in the segment and developed the Chantez. To keep costs down, the Carol P360 production line should continue to be used. So it happened that the Chantez was built on the chassis of the Carol P360, but in contrast to this, it was given a front engine with rear-wheel drive from the Carol. This resulted in the longest wheelbase (2200 mm) in the kei car class and the interior was also very spacious. To further set itself apart from the competition, there was only a 2-door coupe version with a folding rear seat back, which increased the luggage volume and made it easier to use. The equipment variants ranged from the basic version L with little chrome, bumpers and B-pillars painted in the vehicle color, to the LX, GL, GF and GL II up to the top model GF II, with a sporty interior with sports seats, radial tires and two-tone paintwork. The options available in this class for this time, such as B. Towbar and audio stereo system.
Originally, the Chantez was supposed to get the newly developed 3A single rotary engine and thereby set itself apart from the competition. However, the responsible authorities and the competitors prevented this project and so the Chantez received the powerful water-cooled two-cylinder 2-stroke AA engine with 359 cm³, which was subsequently also used in the Mazda Porter van . With 35 HP (26 kW) at 6500 rpm maximum power, the top speed was 115 km / h and the sprint to "400 meters" was 20.6 seconds.
Since Mazda had planned the Chantez from the beginning as a sporty, more exclusive offer in the kei car class, it was not possible to react accordingly in the segment during the oil crisis and offer a smaller or more practical body version. Accordingly, there were sluggish sales figures. As a result of the fact that Mazda could not build the originally planned car and due to the low sales, Mazda lost interest in the Kei-Car class and stopped selling the Chantez without a direct successor in 1976 because the engine no longer had that from 1977 would have complied with changed emissions regulations.
It was not until 1989 that Mazda returned to the segment with its subsidiary Autozam and Autozam Carol . However, Mazda no longer developed its own engines for the kei car class and only uses bought-in engines in its current range of Mazda Carol .
