Mazda introduced this nameplate in the late 1980s as the sport coupe sibling to its mainstream midsize family car, using it to give the 626/Capella line a more expressive two-door identity. In its earliest form, it was closely tied to the Capella/626 platform and served as Mazda’s more stylish, enthusiast-focused coupe offering, with a strong emphasis on driving character and available advanced chassis technology for the era.
The nameplate matured in the early 1990s when Mazda repositioned it as a more distinct specialty coupe rather than just a shortened sedan derivative. The second-generation car arrived with a cleaner, more individual body and a clearer grand-touring brief, giving the model a stronger personality in the sporty coupe market. That shift also reflected Mazda’s broader use of the MX label for cars that leaned into design, innovation, and driver appeal.
In export markets, this coupe became part of Mazda’s 1990s performance-oriented image alongside the MX-3 and MX-5. It was remembered for its sleek styling, front-wheel-drive layout, and available four-wheel steering on some versions, which helped set it apart from more conventional rivals. Production ran through the 1997 model year, after which the nameplate was retired without an immediate successor.