Mazda MPV

The Mazda MPV is a minivan manufactured by Mazda. Introduced in 1989 as a rear-wheel-drive model with optional selectable four-wheel drive, it was replaced in 2000 with a front-wheel-drive-only version. Over one million MPV models had been produced since its introduction. 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 TownAce in 1984. Nissan and Mitsubishi quickly followed suit with conversions of cargo vans in 1987, but all of them were small and... only offered four-cylinder engines, which limited their popularity in North America. The 1989 MPV was designed from the ground-up as a minivan specifically for the American market. It was based on the large rear-wheel-drive 929's HC. It would be called the LV platform, and equipped the MPV with a V6 engine and optional four-wheel drive. Its selectable 4WD system is not to be confused with permanent "all-wheel-drive" systems; the MPV can be switched into 4WD with a switch mounted on the column gear selector.
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