Mazda Millenia
The Mazda Millenia was originally planned as the second of three luxury cars for Mazda's luxury brand, Amati. As Mazda's dwindling finances no longer permitted the launch of the Amati brand, the Millenia was launched in the autumn of 1993 in Europe (as the Xedos 9) and Japan (as the Eunos 800) under the Mazda brand. The car was launched in the US in 1995 as the Millenia, and replaced the 929 as Mazda's flagship sedan offering there. The Millenia was facelifted for the 2000 through 2003 model years. There was no model link to the other Mazda marque Ẽfini.
Having been developed for a separate audience from typical Mazda customers, the Millenia boasted a myriad of finer details. It was engineered to far greater levels of perceived quality than existing Mazda cars, such as interior plastic, panel gap and thicker paint coating. The Millenia/Eunos 800/Xedos 9 was assembled along with the smaller Eunos 500/Xedos 6 in a new production line, presumably set up for Amati cars.
The Millenia does not have a predecessor or replacement in the Mazda product line. It appears to have received a brand-new platform, although the multi-link suspension at both ends strongly resembled that of the 1991 Mazda Sentia, with minor changes such as replacing the lower I-arm with an A-arm for front wheel drive. It was the only production car in the world to employ a Miller cycle engine (The current Demio/Mazda2 features Miller Cycle on one of its engines). Yaw-sensitive 4-wheel steering was available as an option in Japan; Mazda claimed that with this feature, the Millenia was capable of passing the elk test at speeds comparable to the BMW 850i, surpassing the Z32 Nissan 300ZX.
In 1997 the Japanese Eunos 800 was also renamed the Millenia as Mazda folded the Eunos brand. This name change was accompanied by a significant facelift that included some cost-saving measures. For instance, the hood was downgraded from aluminum to steel.
In the USA, the Millenia was available with or without the Miller Cycle engine (The "Millenia S" spec).
European designation
The Mazda Xedos 9 was a luxury car for Mazda of Europe. Sold between 1993 and 2002, the Xedos 9 was the export version of Mazda's upscale Eunos 800 on the Mazda T platform. Engines:
- 2.5L KL-ZE V6
- 2.25L KJ-ZEM V6 (Miller cycle)
- 2.0L V6, same as the unit found in the Xedos6
Japanese designation
The Eunos 800 was a luxury car from Mazda's Eunos marque. Sold only from 1993 through 1998, the Eunos 800 exported as the Xedos 9 and used the Mazda T platform.
Engines:
- 2.5L KL-ZE V6
- 2.25L KJ-ZEM V6 (Miller cycle)
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