Sunday, August 1, 2010
The Detroit Auto Show has a long and proud history spanning over 100 years new car
0 comments Posted by car 2011 at 12:02 PMThe Detroit Auto Show has a long and proud history spanning over 100 years. The first show was held in December 1907 at Beller's Beer Garden in Riverview Park, Detroit, and, with 17 exhibitors, the Detroit Area Dealer Association knew they had a winner on their hands. They had no idea how popular the show would eventually become, though, and these days it showcases over 130 exhibitors. It is also extremely popular with industry guests, public and press alike and 650,000 visitors attended the 2009 Detroit Auto Show with over 31 million more visiting the official website. Highlights of the Detroit Motor Show's 103 year history include the 1957 show when the first international auto manufacturers' vehicles were shown, the 1965 show when the Cobo Center was home to the exhibition for the first time and the groundbreaking international show of 1989. It is also the only auto show in the USA that is approved and sanctioned by the Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs d'Automobiles.
Mazda began as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd, founded in Japan in 1920 manufacturing machine tools. In 1927 it was renamed Toyo Kogyo Co., Ltd. and shortly after started manufacturing vehicles, the first being a three-wheel truck, the Mazdago, in 1931.
Mazda's first car, the Mazda R360 Coupe two door passenger vehicle, came out in 1960, with the four-door Mazda Carol appearing in 1962. The next year, Mazda's car production topped one million. During the 1970s, Mazda successfully entered the North American market, and financial difficulties during the 1990s saw Ford take a controlling interest in Mazda in 1999.
Mazda cars have a reputation for looking and feeling different from the mainstream, thanks in part to their use of Wankel - or rotary - engines in certain models. During the 1960s, Mazda cooperated with NSU's Felix Wankel - who gave his name to the engine - in Germany to introduce rotary-powered vehicles and this continues to the present day with the RX-8.
The company claims that: "Everything we do is daring, ingenious and fun. Our cars all have that extra-special 'Zoom-Zoom' factor: sports-inspired design and motoring in their soul,". This is reflected through the full range of current cars from the all New Mazda2 Supermini to the Mazda BT-50 pick-up.
