Is Mazda Owned By Ford In 2024? The Truth Revealed

For decades, the relationship between Japanese automaker Mazda and American automotive giant Ford has sparked questions and confusion. Were they corporate partners? Did Ford own a controlling stake in Mazda? How closely were their operations and products intertwined?

The truth is, Mazda and Ford have had a long, complicated history spanning over 40 years. At times, Ford owned a significant portion of Mazda’s shares. But in recent years, that ownership structure has shifted dramatically.

So is Mazda still owned by Ford in 2024? The short answer is no, Ford does not currently own a controlling stake in Mazda. However, the two companies do maintain an important strategic partnership for collaboration on product development, manufacturing, and technology sharing.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore the full timeline of Mazda and Ford’s ownership ties, examine Mazda’s current independence, and explain the ongoing joint ventures that still link the two automakers today. We’ll cover all the key details you need to understand this complex relationship.

Table of Contents

The Origins of the Mazda-Ford Partnership

To understand the present, we need to look at how this automotive partnership began. Mazda was founded in 1920 in Hiroshima, Japan as a manufacturer of machinery and equipment. It didn’t start producing vehicles until the early 1930s, with its first four-wheeled truck hitting the market in 1931.

For over 40 years, Mazda operated independently as a small but innovative Japanese automaker. Its rotary engine designs, lightweight vehicle construction, and sporty sedan and coupe offerings helped it carve out a niche globally.

It wasn’t until 1979 that Ford first acquired a stake in Mazda – about 25% of its shares. This partnership allowed the two companies to jointly develop new products, share manufacturing resources, and leverage economies of scale. For Ford, it was a way to get a foothold in the Japanese domestic market.

Over the next decade, Ford gradually increased its ownership stake in Mazda. By 1995, Ford’s shareholding grew to over 33%, effectively making Mazda a controlled subsidiary of the American auto giant.

Ford’s Controlling Stake in the 1990s

In the mid-1990s, Mazda was facing serious financial troubles and was at risk of bankruptcy. To prevent its Japanese partner from going under, Ford stepped in and took a controlling stake of over 33% ownership in 1995.

This controlling interest allowed Ford to exert more influence over Mazda’s operations, product plans, and decision-making. It was a lifeline for Mazda, but also meant the Japanese brand lost a significant degree of independence during this period.

The benefits of this arrangement were plentiful for both automakers, however. Mazda gained access to Ford’s vast resources, engineering expertise, and global supply chain. Ford, on the other hand, could leverage Mazda’s innovative platforms and fuel-efficient powertrains for its own vehicles.

Some key examples of product sharing during this era included:

The Mazda6 midsize sedan was based on the same underpinnings as the Ford Fusion
Certain Mazda3 and Ford Focus models shared platforms
The Ford Ranger pickup truck borrowed elements from Mazda’s B-Series truck designs

By working together and cross-pollinating product development, both companies could achieve greater economies of scale and bring new vehicles to market faster.

Did Ford Sell Its Stake in Mazda?

Ford’s controlling ownership position lasted for over a decade, until the landscape shifted in 2008 due to the global financial crisis. As Ford faced its own cash crunch and restructuring needs, the company made a strategic decision to sell the majority of its stake in Mazda.

In November 2008, Ford reduced its ownership in Mazda from 33.4% down to just 13.4%. This allowed Ford to raise around $540 million in desperately needed capital to fund its turnaround efforts. Most of Ford’s Mazda shares were purchased by a group of private equity partners and other Mazda business partners.

So as of 2024, who actually owns Mazda? The company’s largest shareholders include:

Toyota Motor Corporation (4.9% stake)
Custody Bank of Japan (4.1%)
The Master Trust Bank of Japan (3.9%)
State Street Corporation (2.1%)

While Ford currently maintains a 3.5% ownership interest and a seat on Mazda’s board, the Japanese automaker is once again operating as an independent, domestically-owned company – free from the control of a single majority shareholder.

Mazda’s Independent Operations Today

In the 14 years since regaining its independence from Ford, Mazda has undergone a brand renaissance of sorts. The company doubled down on its sporty, driver-focused brand identity and introduced innovative new products like the CX-5 crossover and Mazda3 hatchback that have resonated with consumers.

Mazda’s vehicle lineup today consists of:

Mazda3 compact car
Mazda6 midsize sedan
Mazda MX-5 Miata roadster
CX-3 subcompact crossover
CX-5 compact crossover
CX-9 midsize crossover
BT-50 pickup truck

While elements of past Ford platforms and powertrains carried over initially after the split, Mazda has been steadily moving toward an entirely in-house designed product portfolio. The company’s SkyActiv engine and vehicle architectures are all-new and proprietary to Mazda.

Key Points on Mazda’s Independence

Mazda headquarters and key leadership are based in Hiroshima, Japan
Major manufacturing facilities are located in Japan, Mexico, Thailand, and China
Vehicle quality, reliability, and brand perception have improved since splitting from Ford, according to J.D. Power and other third-party rankings
Mazda is widely seen as having re-established its own distinctive brand identity and vehicle lineup separate from its former partner Ford

One could argue that Mazda has benefited from having to re-focus its efforts and investments internally versus relying too heavily on borrowed Ford architectures and technologies. The brand’s renewed commitment to signature driving dynamics has paid off.

The Ongoing Strategic Partnership

While Mazda is undoubtedly charting its own course after breaking away from Ford’s corporate control, the two automakers haven’t completely severed ties. In fact, they still maintain several key joint ventures and collaborative partnerships in certain areas.

One of the major ongoing partnerships is the AutoAlliance Thailand (AAT) joint venture plant located in Rayong. This facility is owned 50/50 by Mazda and Ford, with each company operating its own production lines. Vehicles like the Ford Ranger, Mazda BT-50, and Mazda3 are built at AAT.

Additionally, Ford and Mazda still share certain vehicle platforms, transmission designs, and engine technologies – especially those co-developed prior to 2008. The Mazda6 uses some powertrains engineered jointly with Ford, for example. And the current Ford Ranger shares core underpinnings with the Mazda BT-50 pickup.

Ford also maintains a perpetual license to certain Mazda patents and intellectual property, particularly around the Japanese company’s efficient SkyActiv engine designs. So we could see future Ford products leveraging technologies originally developed by Mazda.

Benefits of the Continued Partnership

Why keep aspects of this decades-old partnership going? Both automakers see mutual benefits from continued collaboration in certain areas:

Cost Savings: By jointly developing certain platforms and components, Ford and Mazda can split the enormous upfront engineering investments.
Global Scale: Each automaker can leverage the other’s global manufacturing footprint rather than having to build all-new plants.
Cross-Pollination: Sharing technologies allows Mazda’s fuel-efficient engineering and Ford’s rugged truck expertise to be utilized across more vehicles.

So while no longer intertwined corporate entities, Ford and Mazda find value in maintaining selective partnerships that allow each to focus on their respective strengths while avoiding unnecessary duplicative investments.

Answering Common Questions on Mazda Ownership

To wrap up, let’s directly address some of the frequently asked questions around Mazda’s ownership and its relationship with Ford:

Is Mazda Japanese or American Owned?

As of 2024, Mazda is fully Japanese owned and operated. No single entity owns a majority stake, with shares spread across Japanese institutions like Toyota and banks. Ford maintains a minority 3.5% stake.

This is in stark contrast to the perception many consumers had in the 1990s and early 2000s when Ford owned over 33% of Mazda and had operating control.

Are Any Mazdas Still Built by Ford?

No, as of 2024 Mazda vehicles are no longer produced at any Ford manufacturing plants. The closest remaining tie is the AutoAlliance Thailand (AAT) joint venture facility, which is 50% owned by each company.

At AAT, Mazda operates its own production lines to build models like the Mazda3 sedan and BT-50 pickup truck. Ford has separate lines at the same plant for vehicles like the Ranger pickup.

So while they share the same plant, the actual manufacturing of Mazda and Ford vehicles is distinctly separate at this point. Previously, there were instances of Ford plants in places like Michigan and Mexico building Mazda-branded vehicles when the companies were more intertwined.

Do Mazdas Still Use Ford Engines/Platforms?

Yes, there are still some carryover examples of Mazda vehicles utilizing Ford-derived engines, transmissions, or platform architectures – especially on models that persisted through the transition period when Ford sold its controlling stake around 2008-2010.

The prime example is the current Mazda6 midsize sedan, which uses some engines and transmission designs that were co-developed when Ford had a bigger ownership stake in Mazda. Other models like the CX-5 and Mazda3 also have Ford underpinnings baked into earlier generations.

However, Mazda has been steadily moving to deploy its own proprietary Skyactiv vehicle architectures and powertrain designs. By the late 2020s, we can expect the vast majority of new Mazdas to be completely devoid of any Ford engineering DNA.

Ford also continues benefiting from its perpetual license to certain Mazda patents and technologies. So the knowledge sharing goes both ways, allowing each company to leverage the other’s strengths in areas like fuel-efficient engines or rugged truck platforms.

Let’s Complete

In summary, while Ford and Mazda were corporate partners for decades – with Ford even taking a controlling ownership stake in the 1990s – the two automakers have been operationally separated and independent for over 14 years now as of 2024.

Mazda regained its full autonomy in the late 2000s when Ford sold most of its stake amid financial troubles. Today, Mazda is owned by a mix of Japanese institutional investors and business partners like Toyota, with Ford retaining only a modest 3.5% minority stake.

The crucial takeaway is that Ford no longer owns or controls Mazda. The Japanese brand is domestically owned, charts its own strategic course, and has re-established a distinct product lineup and brand identity separate from its former partner.

However, the two companies have purposely maintained selective joint ventures and platform sharing arrangements where it makes mutual business sense. This strategic partnership leverages each company’s strengths, reduces duplicative R&D investments, and allows technologies to be shared for mutual benefit.

So in many ways, Ford and Mazda have evolved into more of an interdependent collaboration between allies, rather than the parent-subsidiary relationship it was for many years. It’s a complex but symbiotic tie that creates advantages for both companies in an increasingly competitive global auto industry.