The Mazda Lantis is a series of two cars sold in Japan from 1993 to 1998. In the rest of the world it was also known as 323F, Astina, Allegro Hatchback or Artis Hatchback.
The Mazda Lantis used Mazda's
CB platform, which means close relations to the
Eunos 500/
Xedos 6 and the 1994-1997
Mazda Capella
The Mazda Capella, also known as the 626 in North America and Southeast Asia, is a mid-size car that was manufactured by Mazda from 1970 until 2002. Sold in the Japanese domestic market under the Capella name, the vehicle was also commonly know ...
. It was an
FF layout
In automotive design, a front-engine, front-wheel-drive (FWD) layout, or FF layout, places both the internal combustion engine and driven roadwheels at the front of the vehicle.
Usage implications
Historically, this designation was used re ...
car with either a
manual
Manual may refer to:
Instructions
* User guide
* Owner's manual
An owner's manual (also called an instruction manual or a user guide) is an instructional book or booklet that is supplied with almost all technologically advanced consumer ...
or
automatic transmission
An automatic transmission (sometimes abbreviated to auto or AT) is a multi-speed transmission used in internal combustion engine-based motor vehicles that does not require any input from the driver to change forward gears under normal driving ...
.
The body variant is what Mazda called a "4-door coupé", which in common terminology is a 5-door hatchback. In Europe the 5-door hatchback was designated
BA, but was actually almost identical to the
CB, and had little to do with other
B platforms.
The 5-door was sold as the
Mazda 323F
The , also marketed prominently as the Mazda 323, Mazda Protegé and Mazda Allegro, is a small family car that was manufactured by Mazda between 1963 and 2003. The Familia line was replaced by the Mazda3/Axela for 2004.
It was marketed as the '' ...
in Europe, Artis in Chile and Allegro Hatchback (HB) in Colombia and a few other countries of Latin America. This model was penned by Ginger (Arnold) Ostle, who worked for
Porsche
Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, usually shortened to Porsche (; see below), is a German automobile manufacturer specializing in high-performance sports cars, SUVs and sedans, headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The company ...
before arriving at
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 ...
.
The Mazda 323F features power steering, electrically adjustable mirrors, central locking and power windows. Another noticeable feature are the frameless windows, similar to the
Nissan Presea
The is a compact car, produced for the Asian market from 1990 to 2000. It competed with the entry level luxury 4-door hardtop sedans that were popular in Japan during the 1990s, notably the Toyota Corolla Ceres, the Toyota Sprinter Marino, the ...
.
By the time the cars premiered in August 1993, Mazda's multi-brand strategy had become difficult to sustain, so both Lantis variants were released to Mazda,
Efini and
Eunos dealerships. Sales in Japan were lacklustre throughout the Lantis' production run, but the 323F proved to be immensely popular in Europe and some Latin America countries, where it sold in reasonable numbers right until it was discontinued. The JDM Lantis was a popular used export to
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...
.
The rare Type-R version of the Mazda Lantis was sold in Japan only and could be obtained in Europe and other parts of the world through import. The Type-R features a 170ps 2.0L KF-ZE V6 engine, Limited-Slip Differential and appearance options like a front lip spoiler, side skirts, floating rear spoiler, coloured front indicators and other modifications.
The name Lantis is created from the Latin phrase "Latens Curtis", which roughly translates as "To secretly shorten".
Although the 323F lacks a badge indicating which engine is fitted, the V6 version is easily recognizable since it is the only 323F with 5 stud hubs.
The South African and possibly other versions of the 323F branded as the Astina do include badges on the back indicating the engine capacity. The 1.8l is displayed with a badge reading 180 for example.
File:Mazda Allegro HB 1997.jpg, Mazda Allegro (Colombia)
File:1998 Mazda 323F Imola 1.5 Front.jpg, Mazda 323F (European version)
File:Mazda Lantis.jpg, Mazda Lantis Sedan (Japan)
File:Mazda Artis 1.6 GLX 1996 (rear).jpg, Rear view of the hatchback
References
External links
{{Mazda road car timeline 1990s–present
Lantis
Touring cars
Cars introduced in 1993
323F
Hatchbacks