Both before the war and after it, companies such as Mazda and Mitsubishi had made their name producing assorted commercial vehicles prior to entering the car business at the start of the 1960s with the ancestors of the Kei car lines- albeit they would not be alone in this, for a proliferation of Kei cars soon followed. It was only a matter of time, however, before Mazda and Mitsubishi decided they would expand to building more "grown up" cars and in doing so help define the compact at least a few years before the Corolla and Sunny even surfaced.

Mitsubishi's entrant was the Colt, and that would gain something of a mini-cult following in later years. Mazda's entrant was termed the Familia- now what does that sound more like, "family" or "familiar"?

Either way, in late 1963 the first Familia was launched: a nifty-looking, compact 2-door wagon powered by an 800cc engine. The sedan joined the range shortly after. But that wasn't all- by 1965 the range was improved wit a 1.0-litre engine and a sportier 2-door coupe with a more powerful version of the 1.0-litre motor providing something approaching reasonable urge. The bigger engine would at least make the Familia somewhat more competitive with comparable cars overseas, and the expectant competition from Toyota and Nissan in 1966.

Four years later, in 1967, the second Familia was launched with new styling and many other improvements, and a choice of 1.0 and 1.2-litre motors. The choice of sedans, coupes and wagons were there, but this particular generation would have much greater significance within a couple of years. With the launch of the Cosmo sports coupe, Mazda showed that it dared to break from the norm by putting rotary engines into production in any significant volume- the only other manufacturer to do so would be NSU. The Familia would be the next Mazda line to be the recipient of the rotary- the 10A motor available in both 2 and 4-door bodies, giving the Familia a clear performance edge over other Japanese compacts, and enabling it to compete with the slew of European and Japanese sports sedans that had arrived on the scene by the time. Soon, as Mazda expanded its range, the appeal of the rotary motor would expand greatly.

Sadly the rotary option would not be renewed by the time the third generation Familia was launched in 1973, even though other Mazda family car lines (Savanna, Capella and Luce) already had it. A 1.3-litre model would be about the limit for this generation, which received a significant cosmetic facelift later in its life. It nonetheless established itself in the ever-growing compact market.

When the fourth Familia was launched at the beginning of 1977, it would switch to all-new hatchback styling already popularised by the Volkswagen Golf and Honda Civic. There wasn't as huge a proliferation of models as some JDM lines, with the 1.4-litre engine being the limit for this one. The wagon variant would be produced well into the 80s. Known as the 323 in most export markets, this generation was nonetheless significant because my dad used to own a blue one, many many years ago

The fifth Familia arrived during 1980, and would be hailed as a big move for Mazda. Front-wheel drive with crisp styling, available as a sedan or hatchback. The new Familia aka 323 aka GLC would be well recieved and alongside the Civic helped with the shift towards front-wheel drive for compacts and mid-sizers in the domestic market. Significantly, it also heralded the return of performance models to the Familia absent since the rotary-powered R100/Familia SS. A 1.5-litre turbo would be available in both sedan and hatchback bodies.

The sixth Familia arrived in 1985 and merely rehashed the concepts envisaged by the fifth. The wagon would move to the FWD platform, and a convertible was made available. The turbo option remained, now with 1.6 litres, but there was something even better- there was the option of all-wheel drive. A diesel option debuted, as diesel offerings were becoming commonplace along many Japanese lines.

The seventh Familia, introduced in 1989, would prove to be a crescendo for this line. The sedan, 3-door hatchback and Astina 5-door hatchback were each endowed with distinctive styling touches- the Astina's styling is quite liked by many. Turbo and AWD options were continued and further enhanced. Available in the sedan and 3-door hatch, the turbo motor was now 1.8 litres, and in GT-X form with AWD with an intercooler sported 180bhp. The icing on the cake would be the GT-R with further enhancements delivering 210bhp. The only compact hatchback that could touch it at the time would be Lancia's Delta Integrale.

When the eighth Familia arrived in 1994, the range was pared down and there were no longer turbo performance models. The sleekly styled Lantis 5-door hatchback, still known abroad as the Astina, would provide a 2.0-litre V6 option. It nonetheless proved worthy enough during what was becoming difficult times for Mazda. The sedan would be known in many overseas markets as the 323 Protege, but the Protege name would come to be more widely used.

The ninth and final Familia, introduced in 1998, would be a more significant car than they would've thought at the beginning. A highly competent and worthy car, it would play a key role in rejuvenating Mazda's image in conjunction with the "Zoom Zoom" campaign in the early 21st Century. The 323 aka Protege provided outstanding value for a well-sorted compact. The 2.0-litre in the five-door hatchback would prove a popular option, but even the base 1.6-litre Protege we got came pretty much loaded.

The Familia's run came to an end in 2003, with the Axela aka Mazda 3 replacing it and carrying on the tradition. But the Familia will be remembered as not merely one of Mazda's bread-and-butter cars, but one often having a performance edge and/or a that touch of class to set it apart from its domestic competitors.