At the ceremony, President Imaki said, "Mazda was able to achieve 40 million units of cumulative production due to the great support of our customers. This milestone is also the result of the steadfast efforts of the many employees and people associated with Mazda who have been the cornerstone of our success throughout the company's existence. Mazda's appetite for embracing challenges and a spirited corporate culture drives us to develop new technologies and create new value. This is the reason why, of all the automakers around the world, Mazda is the only brand that produces rotary engine cars. Accomplishing 40 million units built is another breakthrough on our road to even further growth. To maintain this track record of success going forward, Mazda will continue to provide our customers with cars that 'look inviting to drive, are fun to drive and make you want to drive them again'."

Mazda initially established itself as a manufacturer of light trucks, beginning with three-wheeled trucks, in 1931. Mazda took a bold step into the passenger car segment in 1960 when it commenced production of the R360 Coupe minicar. Since then, Mazda has developed into a global corporation through production and international sales of sports cars such as the world's first dual-rotor rotary engine car, the Cosmo Sport (known as the R110S in overseas markets) and the Savanna RX-7 (RX-7), along with durable models such as the Familia (Mazda Protegé/323/323F) and Capella (Mazda 626). At one time, Mazda even imported Holden Premier (HJ series) bodies and components for its Roadpacer (see image), a large sedan for the domestic Japanese market. This model was powered by a rotary engine. In 2002, in an endeavour to lift sales, Mazda began to introduce a new generation of products.