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Mazda-Go

Also known as Matsuda-gō, マツダ号, Mazda-Go Type DA

Mazda’s first motor vehicle was not a car. It was a three-wheeled truck with a motorcycle’s front wheel and handlebars, a load bed behind, and two things many rival tricycles lacked: a reverse gear and a differential.

Green three-wheeled truck with yellow wheels, a single headlamp and a 400 kg cargo box, a period street mural behind.
A green 1935 Mazda-Go Type TCS at the Mazda Museum, Hiroshima, in September 2026.Photo: TTTNIS, CC0 1.0, via Wikimedia Commons

At a glance

The spec plate

Mazda-Go

Type DA · Hiroshima

Built
1931–⁠1938On sale from 3 October 1931; the GA of 1938 was built again from December 1945
Country
JapanTōyō Kōgyō, Hiroshima
Maker
Tōyō KōgyōFormerly Tōyō Cork Kōgyō; sold by Mitsubishi until 1936 at home, 1937 abroad
Engine
482 cc air-cooled singleBuilt in-house; the 1938 GA a 669 cc side-valve single
Power
9.4 PS6.9 kW; the GA 13.7 PS (10.1 kW)
Seats
1The rider, on a saddle
Wheels
3One at the front, steered by handlebars; two driven at the back through a differential

Not yet recordedtop speed, length and weight.

How big is it?

True proportion

Length unknown

No reliable length has been found. The Fiat 500, the Peel P50 and the adult stay, so the gap is shown, not hidden.

  • A motorcycle front end and an open load bed behind
Drawn at true proportion. The track is 3.6 metres long; the adult stands at the same scale. The Peel P50 is the smallest production car, on every page for comparison.

Beside its contemporaries

The Japanese microcars on the road in 1931, on the same 3.5 m scale. Lengths of cars without a page yet come from the census and are unverified.

  1. Datsun Type 111931–⁠1938 · Japan

    2.71 m

  2. Mazda-Go1931–⁠1938 · Japan

The story

History

Tōyō Kōgyō began as Tōyō Cork Kōgyō, a cork maker in Hiroshima. Jujiro Matsuda took charge in 1921 and moved the firm into machine tools.12 In 1929 it built its first engine, a 250 cc two-stroke, and in March 1930 six motorcycles; about 30 more were sold through Mitsubishi’s dealers, and one of them won a race in Hiroshima that October.2 Then Matsuda turned to three-wheelers, which paid better.2 Work on the truck had begun in 1929, by the account of Mazda’s own 1990 history as English Wikipedia reports it.3

Japan’s economy was picking up, and there was demand for plain working vehicles.1 In July 1931 Tōyō Kōgyō agreed that Mitsubishi would sell the truck, with the rights in Japan until August 1936 and abroad until December 1937, and Mitsubishi’s logo went on the tank.31 The Mazda-Go Type DA went on sale on 3 October 1931, and the first batch was 66.312 It was the first vehicle to carry the name Mazda, which Mazda’s own account takes from two places at once: Matsuda’s surname and Ahura Mazda, the Zoroastrian god of light and wisdom.1

Black and white side view of a three-wheeled truck: motorcycle front with headlamp and saddle, open box over two rear wheels.
Plate II · 1931–⁠1932 The first model, the Type DA of 1931, in a Tōyō Kōgyō photograph.Photo: Tōyō Kōgyō (photographer unknown), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

A motorcycle with a load bed

The rider sat on a saddle and steered by handlebars, over a single front wheel, with the engine beneath him and an open load bed behind, carried on two rear wheels.31 The engine was the company’s own, an air-cooled single of 482 cc giving 9.4 PS (6.9 kW). It drove both rear wheels through a differential, and the gearbox had three speeds and a reverse.31 Mazda’s account calls the result a sales success.1

More types followed: the DB, with more power, the DC and the heavy-duty KC.31 No length, weight or price for any of the early trucks has been found.

Kagoshima to Tokyo

In 1936 five Mazda-Gos, KC and DC trucks, drove from Kagoshima to Tokyo: about 2,700 km (1,680 miles) in 25 days. It was a publicity run, and by Mazda’s account it lifted sales a good deal.1 (More long runs are on our page of records and feats.) That August, Mitsubishi’s rights to sell the truck in Japan came to an end, and its export rights followed in December 1937.3

Five three-wheeled trucks parked in a row with their crews in white overalls beneath a large shrine gate.
Plate III · 1936 The five Mazda-Gos of the 1936 Kagoshima–Tokyo run, lined up with their crews beneath a torii gate.Photo: Tōyō Kōgyō (photographer unknown), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The GA, before and after the war

The last of the pre-war types, the GA of 1938, had a side-valve single of 669 cc and 13.7 PS (10.1 kW). It weighed 580 kg (1,280 lb) and carried 500 kg (1,100 lb).3 In December 1945 it went back into production, the first vehicle Mazda built after the war.3 New three-wheelers, the T2000 among them, and the Mazda K360 eventually took its place.3 (The micro-vans page follows the small working vehicles that came after.)

Black and white view of a three-wheeled truck with an open step-through frame, headlamp and cargo box.
Plate I · 1938 The Type GA of 1938, the type that returned to production in December 1945, in a Tōyō Kōgyō photograph.Photo: Tōyō Kōgyō (photographer unknown), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Blue curved handlebar frame with instruments, a gear lever and a sprung brown leather saddle.
The rider’s place on a GA built in 1949: handlebars, instruments, gear lever and a sprung saddle.Photo: TTTNIS, CC0 1.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Pictures

More photographs, old and new

The car 8

  • Teal three-wheeled truck with yellow wheels and a red seat, a museum sign on a stand in front of its engine. Opens a larger view

    1 A teal Mazda-Go Type DC three-wheeler at the Otaru Museum, Hokkaido, in July 2007.

  • Blue three-wheeled truck with a step-through frame, a big headlamp and a museum label board in front. Opens a larger view

    2 A blue Mazda-Go Type GA built in 1949, in a small museum in Japan in September 2026.

  • Dark blue three-wheeled truck with yellow wheels, mirrors and an open box, red display light behind. Opens a larger view

    3 A dark blue Mazda-Go three-wheeler shown as a 1938 Type GA at the Mazda Museum, Hiroshima, in September 2026.

  • Green three-wheeler with yellow wheels, handlebars and an open cargo box, a black and white mural wall alongside. Opens a larger view

    4 A green 1935 Mazda-Go Type TCS from the left front at the Mazda Museum, Hiroshima, in November 2022.

  • Rear three-quarter of a green three-wheeled truck with yellow wheels against a mural of a crowd. Opens a larger view

    5 A green 1935 Mazda-Go Type TCS from the rear at the Mazda Museum, Hiroshima, in November 2022.

  • Rear of a green three-wheeler: steel cargo box with a 400 kg marking, a plate reading TCS and twin rear wheels. Opens a larger view

    6 The cargo box of a 1935 Mazda-Go Type TCS from behind at the Mazda Museum, Hiroshima, in September 2026.

  • Front of a green three-wheeler: single front tyre in girder forks, one big headlamp and wide handlebars. Opens a larger view

    7 A 1935 Mazda-Go Type TCS seen head-on at the Mazda Museum, Hiroshima, in November 2022.

  • Green three-wheeled truck with yellow wheels on a blue floor below a large ‘Welcome to Mazda Museum’ sign. Opens a larger view

    8 A green 1935 Mazda-Go Type TCS at the entrance of the Mazda Museum, Hiroshima, in February 2005.

The car: Type GB 5

  • Bright blue three-wheeled truck with an open frame, small saddle and cargo bed, other old vehicles behind. Opens a larger view

    9 A bright blue 1950 Mazda-Go Type GB at the Motorcar Museum of Japan, Komatsu, in November 2023.

  • Bright red three-wheeled truck with cream wheels, a large headlamp and a step-through frame, a truck behind. Opens a larger view

    10 A red 1949 Mazda-Go Type GB at the Mazda Museum, Hiroshima, in September 2026.

  • Side view of a blue-grey three-wheeled truck with yellow wheels, exposed engine and a flat cargo bed. Opens a larger view

    11 A blue-grey Mazda-Go Type GB in profile at the Mazda Museum, Hiroshima, in November 2022.

  • Blue three-wheeler from the right showing its frame, engine and long cargo bed, cars displayed behind. Opens a larger view

    12 A bright blue 1950 Mazda-Go Type GB from the side at the Motorcar Museum of Japan, Komatsu, in November 2023.

  • Big chrome headlamp, winged badge and a red horn grille on a blue-grey three-wheeler. Opens a larger view

    13 The front of a Mazda-Go Type GB at the Mazda Museum, Hiroshima, in November 2022.

Inside and details 5

  • Top of a green fuel tank with a round speedometer, two filler caps, a switch and a black centre strip. Opens a larger view

    14 The speedometer and filler caps on the tank of a 1935 Mazda-Go Type TCS at the Mazda Museum, Hiroshima, in November 2022.

  • Finned single-cylinder engine under a blue frame, with a battery box and ribbed footboard beside it. Opens a larger view

    15 The 669 cc side-valve engine of a 1949-built Mazda-Go Type GA in a small museum in Japan in September 2026.

  • Single-cylinder engine with polished cases under a blue-grey frame and saddle, a ribbed footboard below. Opens a larger view

    16 The engine and footboard of a Mazda-Go Type GB at the Mazda Museum, Hiroshima, in November 2022.

  • Finned single-cylinder engine with carburettor and pipes under a green tank lettered Mazda in gold script. Opens a larger view

    17 The air-cooled single-cylinder engine of a 1935 Mazda-Go Type TCS at the Mazda Museum, Hiroshima, in November 2022.

  • Green steel cargo box with a white plate reading TCS型3輪 昭和10年 and a 400 kg load marking. Opens a larger view

    18 The rear plate of the 1935 Mazda-Go Type TCS at the Mazda Museum, Hiroshima, in November 2022.

Period photographs 4

  • Black and white view of a three-wheeled light truck from the front left, motorcycle forks and an open steel cargo box. Opens a larger view

    19 A Tōyō Kōgyō photograph of the Mazda-Go Type DC three-wheeler from 1930s Japan.

  • Pale grey three-wheeled truck in a black and white studio view, step-through frame, saddle and long cargo bed. Opens a larger view

    20 A Tōyō Kōgyō photograph of the post-war Mazda-Go Type GB from Japan in about 1949.

  • Black and white side view of a three-wheeler with a long open cargo box and a Mazda-lettered tank. Opens a larger view

    21 A Tōyō Kōgyō photograph of the heavy-duty Mazda-Go Type KC36 from Japan in 1936.

  • Black and white side view of a three-wheeled truck with a load rail on the front of its cargo box. Opens a larger view

    22 A Tōyō Kōgyō photograph of the Mazda-Go Type TCS from Japan in 1935.

Picture credits (22)
  1. 1 100yen, CC BY-SA 3.0
  2. 2 TTTNIS, CC0 1.0
  3. 3 TTTNIS, CC0 1.0
  4. 4 dennis bloodnok, CC BY 2.0
  5. 5 dennis bloodnok, CC BY 2.0
  6. 6 TTTNIS, CC0 1.0
  7. 7 dennis bloodnok, CC BY 2.0
  8. 8 Taisyo, CC BY-SA 2.1 jp
  9. 9 先従隗始, CC0 1.0
  10. 10 TTTNIS, CC0 1.0
  11. 11 dennis bloodnok, CC BY 2.0
  12. 12 先従隗始, CC0 1.0
  13. 13 dennis bloodnok, CC BY 2.0
  14. 14 dennis bloodnok, CC BY 2.0
  15. 15 TTTNIS, CC0 1.0
  16. 16 dennis bloodnok, CC BY 2.0
  17. 17 dennis bloodnok, CC BY 2.0
  18. 18 dennis bloodnok, CC BY 2.0
  19. 19 Tōyō Kōgyō (photographer unknown), Public domain
  20. 20 Tōyō Kōgyō (photographer unknown), Public domain
  21. 21 Tōyō Kōgyō (photographer unknown), Public domain
  22. 22 Tōyō Kōgyō (photographer unknown), Public domain

Variants

Five types in the record

The Mazda-Go range, 1931–⁠38
VariantYearsWhat differsHow many
DAOct 1931–The first model: three speeds and reverse, and a differential66 in the first batch
DB1930sMore powerfulNot found
DC1930sNot recorded in the sources readNot found
KC1930sHeavy dutyNot found
GA1938, 1945–A 669 cc side-valve engine, 13.7 PS and a 500 kg payload; built again from December 1945Not found

Specification

The Type DA of 1931 unless noted

Engine and drive

EngineSingle cylinder, air-cooled, made by Tōyō Kōgyō31
Capacity482 cc (29.4 cu in)31
Power9.4 PS (6.9 kW)31
GearboxThree speeds and reverse31
Final driveTo both rear wheels, through a differential31

Body and chassis

Front endA motorcycle’s, with one wheel and handlebar steering3
BodyAn open load bed over the rear wheels31
SeatsOne, for the rider3

The Type GA of 1938

EngineSingle cylinder, side valves, 669 cc (40.8 cu in)3
Power13.7 PS (10.1 kW)3
Payload500 kg (1,100 lb)3
Kerb weight580 kg (1,280 lb)3

How many were built?

The one figure found

Total not knownNo production total for the Mazda-Go has been found. The only figure is the first batch of 1931; Mazda’s own account calls the truck a sales success without giving a number.

  1. 66the first batch of Type DAs, 1931One source

    SlashGear’s history of Mazda’s early motor vehicles2

  • Two sources agreetwo good sources give the figure
  • One sourcea good source, alone
  • Unconfirmeda lead only, not yet checked

Famous for

Three points

  1. The first Mazda

    The Type DA of October 1931 was Mazda’s first motor vehicle, and the first to bear the name.31

  2. Reverse and a differential

    Two features that many rival three-wheeled trucks of 1931 did without.31

  3. Twenty-five days

    Five trucks drove about 2,700 km from Kagoshima to Tokyo in 1936 to sell the name.1

Survivors and collecting

Today

No count of surviving Mazda-Gos has been found. English Wikipedia cites a 2011 blog of the Fukuyama Auto & Clock Museum for GA and GB types held there.3 The photographs on this page show several more in museums: a green 1935 TCS and a post-war GB at the Mazda Museum in Hiroshima, a DC at the Otaru Museum in Hokkaido, and a blue 1950 GB in Komatsu, at the Motorcar Museum of Japan. Neither the TCS nor the GB is described in the sources read.

Sources

Numbered as in the text

No period road test or brochure was read, and Mazda’s own page on the Mazda-Go could not be read in any copy. The history rests on English Wikipedia (which draws on Mazda’s publications), Mazda’s UK press site and one magazine article. Sources are given as plain text; the links are on the Credits page.

  1. Inside Mazda (Mazda Motors UK), “Mazda at 100: love of the epic drive”, 6 May 2020, read in full.
  2. SlashGear, “Has Mazda Ever Made Motorcycles?”, read in full.
  3. English Wikipedia, Mazda-Go, read in full. Used as a lead; it cites Mazda’s “Great Cars of Mazda: Mazda-Go”, Mazda’s The Globe: In Search of the Origins of Mazda (1990) and a 2011 blog of the Fukuyama Auto & Clock Museum.