A subcompact car that was produced by Mazda of Japan, the Mazda 323 is also called the Familia in its home country. It was manufactured from 1976 up until 2003. In the United States, it was originally known as the GLC, then the 323, and come 1990, it was then known as the Protégé. In another part of the globe, South Africa knows this vehicle as the Etude. These vehicles were built in Japan, and also they are assembled in other countries that include Taiwan, Malaysia, South Africa, Colombia and New Zealand.
It has become a perennial favorite among US car magazines mainly because the model is well regarded for its spirited handling. Also, it had made a place in the automotive industry by being the first small Japanese car to cross over to the EPA “compact†class in 1990, the same time that it started to be recognized and known as the Mazda Protégé. It also became the basis of other vehicles by manufacturers that included the Ford Laser and Meteor in Asia, Australia, and other markets (this is known as the Mercury Tracer in the United States), and the Ford Escort.
In 1976, the first Mazda 323 rolled off the streets as a rear wheel drive model and was known in the United States as the Mazda GLC which actually stood for “Great Little Carâ€Â. This was a version of the fourth-generation Japan-market Mazda Familia. The vehicle was made available then in different bodies: a five-door four-seat hatch, a three-door four-seat hatch, a five-door four-seat station wagon, a three-door four-seat station wagon, and a three-door two-seat van with an extended roof profile. It carried with it square sealed beam units on all models except the van, together with a general styling and mechanical upgrade.
