The Mazda Carol is a

kei car Kei car (or , kanji: , "light automobile", ), known variously outside Japan as Japanese city car or Japanese microcar, is the Japanese vehicle category for the smallest highway-legal passenger cars with restricted dimensions and engine capacit ...

manufactured by

Mazda , commonly referred to as simply Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Fuchū, Hiroshima, Japan. In 2015, Mazda produced 1.5 million vehicles for global sales, the majority of which (nearly one m ...

from 1962 until 1970. The Carol name was revived again with Mazda's 1989 re-entry into the kei car class with the

Autozam was a marque of Japanese automaker Mazda, specializing in small cars and Kei cars, many of which were Rebadging, rebadged Suzuki models. Autozam also briefly acted as importer of Lancia vehicles to Japan. The Autozam dealership channel is stil ...

brand. Since 1989, the Carol has been a

rebadged In the automotive industry, rebadging is a form of market segmentation used by automobile manufacturers around the world. To allow for product differentiation without designing or engineering a new model or brand (at high cost or risk), a man ...

model manufactured by

Suzuki is a Japan, Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Minami-ku, Hamamatsu, Japan. Suzuki manufactures automobiles, motorcycles, All-terrain vehicle, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), outboard motor, outboard marine engines, wheelchairs ...

for Mazda, based on the Japanese

Suzuki Alto The is a kei car produced by Suzuki since 1979. The model, currently in its ninth generation, was first introduced in 1979 and has been built in many countries worldwide. The Alto originated as a commercial vehicle derivative of the Fronte, b ...

. The first two generations of the modern era Carols received unique bodywork, but since late 1998 the nameplate has been strictly a badging exercise. __TOC__

First generation (1962)

The

Mazda R360 The Mazda R360 is a kei car manufactured and marketed by Mazda as the company's first passenger car — a two-door, four-seat coupé. Introduced in 1960, the R360 featured a wheelbase, weighed and was powered by a rear-mounted air-cooled 35 ...

was complemented by the more grown-up 2-door sedan Mazda P360 Carol in February 1962, the company's first 4-passenger car, and complemented the three-wheeled

Mazda Mazdago The Mazda-Go (Japanese: マツダ号) is a three-wheeled open "truck" that was first produced in 1931 and resembled a motorcycle with an open wagon or truck bed. It entered the market on 3 October 1931. It was the first vehicle manufactured by M ...

. It was more substantial than the R360: although its total length of was the same, its wheelbase was considerably longer. The Carol weighed in at , versus for the diminutive R360. It used the DA, a , rear-mounted

water-cooled Cooling tower and water discharge of a nuclear power plant Water cooling is a method of heat removal from components and industrial equipment. Evaporative cooling using water is often more efficient than air cooling. Water is inexpensive and non ...

358 cc

4-cylinder The engine configuration describes the fundamental operating principles by which internal combustion engines are categorized. Piston engines are often categorized by their cylinder layout, valves and camshafts. Wankel engines are often categorize ...

OHV An overhead valve (OHV) engine, sometimes called a ''pushrod engine'', is a piston engine whose valves are located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier flathead engines, where the valves were located bel ...

engine. This is one of the smallest four-cylinder automobile engines in history, only Honda's 356 cc

DOHC An overhead camshaft (OHC) engine is a piston engine where the camshaft is located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier overhead valve engines (OHV), where the camshaft is located below the combustion c ...

alloy inline-four unit (used in the T360 truck) was smaller. The four-speed gearbox was synchronized only on the top three gears. Mazda Carol 360 rear

The Carol was perhaps overengineered: it had a very strong monocoque body, a four-cylinder four-stroke engine with a five-bearing crankshaft and four-wheel independent suspension by

torsion bar A torsion bar suspension, also known as a torsion spring suspension, is any vehicle suspension that uses a torsion bar as its main weight-bearing spring. One end of a long metal bar is attached firmly to the vehicle chassis; the opposite end termi ...

s, but this led to high production costs, comparably high weight, and its very comfortable ride was offset by cramped accommodation. Nonetheless, the Carol was an incredible success in the marketplace, capturing 67% of the Kei market in its first year. A better equipped DeLuxe version was added in May 1962, along with a changed angle of the rear window to help it stay clean. In September 1963, shortly after a reshaped combustion head and upgrade to , a four-door version appeared. In October 1966 a minor facelift took place. The car was lightened somewhat, new bumpers were mounted, and the spare tire was moved from the front to the engine room, freeing up scarce luggage space. Also, the gearbox was now fully synchronized. The last modification took place in 1969, when in response to stricter safety standards a driver's side headrest and provisions for seatbelts were fitted. Production continued until August 1970, by which time 265,226 Carol 360s had been built. Mazda did not offer a Kei class passenger car for two years, until the 1972 introduction of the Chantez.

Carol 600 (1962–1964)

The Carol 600 appeared in the fall of 1962 with a larger 586 cc '' RA''

engine and longer at 3,200 mm. The extra length was due to more prominent bumpers, passenger space was as restricted as in the 360. Weight ranged from . It was also available as a four-door sedan, ahead of the lesser Carol 360. The car was called the "600" or "P600" in export markets. At home, there was a Standard two-door, and DeLuxe two- or four-door versions. Production ended in November 1964, after the introduction of the more spacious Mazda Familia 800 sedan version. Around 8,800 Carol 600s were built.

Second generation (1989)

With the revival of the Kei class in the late eighties, Mazda revived the Carol name in October 1989 for the

Carol. The recently introduced Autozam was to be Mazda's youthful brand and was used on Mazda's kei cars for some time. The Carol was produced for Mazda by

, and while it used the

's platform and mechanicals, its interior and boldly curved exterior were largely unique. Its round headlights and cute appearance were very much a product of its time and followed upon the heels of similar designs such as Nissan's

Be-1 Blue Origin, LLC is an American private spaceflight, privately funded aerospace manufacturer and sub-orbital spaceflight services company headquartered in Kent, Washington. Founded in 2000 by Jeff Bezos, the founder and executive chairman of Am ...

and Pao. It was either front (AA5PA) or all-wheel drive (AA5RA) and its

SOHC An overhead camshaft (OHC) engine is a piston engine where the camshaft is located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier overhead valve engines (OHV), where the camshaft is located below the combustion cha ...

547 cc 3-cylinder Suzuki F5B engine produced at 7,500 rpm. The Carol had a wheelbase for a total length of and was wide. Brakes were discs up front and drums in rear. Equipment levels were e, f (also 4WD), and the top g version. The g featured a Canvas Top. Four-wheel drives received a five-speed gearbox, while the front-wheel drive versions received a four- or five-speed manual or a three-speed auto. 550 cc Carols are rare, as production ended after only four months. New

Kei car Kei car (or , kanji: , "light automobile", ), known variously outside Japan as Japanese city car or Japanese microcar, is the Japanese vehicle category for the smallest highway-legal passenger cars with restricted dimensions and engine capacit ...

regulations for 1990 allowed manufacturers a bigger engine and an extra 10 cm of body length, and Mazda quickly brought out an updated Carol.

Facelift (1990–1994)

New regulations brought about the replacement of the 1989 Carol within 4 months, as the larger AA6 Carol was presented in February 1990. The new car was 6 cm longer and used a larger 657 cc Suzuki F6A engine with . The car is easy to tell from its predecessor by its clear headlight covers. In 1991, Mazda offered a

turbocharged In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (often called a turbo) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to pro ...

engine, and the car was further lengthened to 329 cm in 1992.

Third generation (1995)

An updated Autozam Carol came out in October 1995 as a 1996 model. Again, it was front or all-wheel drive and still sharing its platform with the

. This generation also received model-specific bodywork, and was also only available as a three-door hatchback with a vestigial notchback design. A turbocharged SOHC version was available, although it was marketed without any sporting pretensions and did not even have a rev counter. Mazda also developed two retro-styled versions as a wave of such models flooded the Kei car market at the time; these were called the Carol Custom and the Carol Classic. During 1998, the model's name was changed to "Mazda Carol" as the

badge was being discontinued.

Fourth generation (1998)

An entirely new Carol appeared in October 1998 as a 1999 model, this time with the Mazda brand name. Unlike previous Carols, this model was similar to the

. This Carol was available with either front or all-wheel drive and used the old 657 cc '' F6A'' engine or a new 658 cc

unit. It was closely related to the AZ-Offroad and AZ-Wagon introduced at the same time. Mazda CAROL SG (HB12S) rear

The Carol was updated with a new look in December 2000, featuring Mazda's new five-point grille design. Safety and emissions were also improved, thanks to new variants of the K-series family of engines with available

variable valve timing In internal combustion engines, variable valve timing (VVT) is the process of altering the timing of a valve lift event, and is often used to improve performance, fuel economy or emissions. It is increasingly being used in combination with varia ...

. The earlier F6A was no longer available.

Fifth generation (2004)

As Suzuki released a replacement for the

, the rebadged Mazda Carol was also replaced.

Sixth generation (2009)

Mazda has launched a new Carol in December 2009, which was first revealed at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show. The Carol has been updated alongside its brother, the

. Like the Alto, the Carol is available with AWD and CVT.

Seventh generation (2014)

As Suzuki released a replacement for the

, the rebadged Mazda Carol was also replaced.

Eighth generation (2021)

The eighth-generation Carol is based on the ninth-generation Alto.

References

External links

* {{Mazda road car timeline 1990s–present Carol OEM Suzuki vehicles Kei cars Rear-engined vehicles All-wheel-drive vehicles Front-wheel-drive vehicles Rear-wheel-drive vehicles Cars introduced in 1962 1970s cars 1980s cars 1990s cars 2000s cars 2010s cars 2020s cars