Mazda MPV

The Mazda MPV (also sold as the Efini MPV in Japan) is a minivan. It was introduced in 1989 as a rear wheel drive model and was replaced in 2000 with a more modern front wheel drive version. As of March 31, 2005, 950,051 MPV models had been sold worldwide since introduction.

1989-1998

The minivan boom of the 1980s caught the Japanese car makers by surprise. Each maker had its own response: Toyota was first with an adaptation of their mid-engined Van, based on the Japanese Town-Ace in 1984. Nissan and Mitsubishi quickly followed suit with conversions of cargo vans in 1987. None of these were particularly successful, since all were small and only offered 4-cylinder engines.

The 1989 MPV was radically different. It was designed from the ground-up as a minivan for the American market. Mazda started with the best platform they had, the 929's HC, to develop the MPV's LV platform, and equipped the MPV with a V6 engine and optional all wheel drive. Like the later Honda Odyssey, it featured traditional hinged doors instead of sliding rear doors, though the original MPV only had a single rear door.