Mazda 323/Protege Service Manuals

About The Mazda 323/Protege

You may have come across this compact car from Mazda being sold in various regions around the world as the 323, Protege or the Familia.

It was on sale from 1963 all the way through to 2003 when it was eventually replaced by the Mazda3.

Over the years it has also been rebadged by other automakers as the:

• Ford Laser
• Ford Meteor
• Ford Escort
• Mercury Tracer

These cars were all manufactured in one factory based in Hiroshima but were delivered in kit form to many assembly plants around the world.

Car manufacturers typically do this to get past import taxes by claiming that the models were built in that country.

First-generation 1960s Familia cars were offered in a wide variety of styles including a van, pickup truck and even a box truck.

These were only sold in Japan and were designed to cater to the recently exploding internal economy that needed an affordable car to help it grow.

This car was among a wave of compact models that helped take the ownership of a private car from a luxury to a common occurrence.

Things didn’t really take off the Familia line until the late 1970s when the fourth-generation car was being exported across the world.

Assembly plants opened up in New Zealand and Indonesia and a new range of engines helped the car gain appeal in many new markets.

Compact cars like these were starting to gain a huge new audience as the oil crisis deepened and sent fuel costs spiraling upwards.

Over the generations, since the car went from strength to strength being seen on many roads all over the world.

With successes in the World Rally Championship and a Mazdaspeed Protegé version on offer the car also crept into the compact sports segment of the market.