Mazda Luce - WikiHQ

The is an executive car that was produced by Mazda in Japan from 1966 until 1991. It was widely exported as the Mazda 929 from 1973 to 1991 as Mazda's largest sedan. Later generations were installed with luxury items and interiors as the Luce became the flagship offering. In 1991, the Luce was replaced by the Sentia, which was also exported under the 929 nameplate.

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Etymology

The name "lu'ce" was taken from the Italian word for "light".

SU/SV series (1966–1973)

The Luce Legato (introduced as the LA4 series in October 1977) was a large and luxurious sedan, still powered by Mazda's piston or rotary engines. It was also available as a four-door pillarless hardtop that looked like a huge, square coupé, and a wagon, which had more of a utilitarian role than the sedans. The coupé was replaced by the Mazda Cosmo (CD). Production of the Luce 1800 (LA4VS) and 2000 (LA4MS) sedans started in October 1977, ending in July (LA4VS) and September 1981 (LA4MS) for the Japanese market. The "L" for "Legato" suffix hung on though, with export models receiving the new car as the "929L". Legato is a musical term meaning "to make a smooth transition from one note to another"

The rebodied Mazda Luce Legato became the second generation 929 in 1978 for export markets, often called the 929L. There was no coupé version developed of this generation, although a four-door hardtop body was available in Japan and some other markets including France. A station wagon was added in February 1979. The design was American-inspired, with stacked rectangular headlights and a large chrome grille. The rather heavy and old-fashioned exterior was made to look even older by having a very up-to-date interior and dashboard. In Europe, a more efficient 2.0-liter inline-four, producing with a single-barrel carb replaced the existing engines.

First presented in Japan in October 1979 was a facelifted LA4 version with large, rectangular headlights and a more orthodox and European front appearance. The final addition was a 2.2-liter diesel engine produced between August 1980 and July 1981 for the sedan (LA4SS) from November 1981 for the wagon (LA4SV). The 929 was replaced after November 1981 by the next generation Luce/929, although the second generation station wagon continued in production until March 1988 as no wagon replacement of subsequent generations was ever developed. At the time of the generational change, the diesel engine was also installed in the van (wagon) model, only available with the GL equipment level.

Aside from the regular piston-engined variants, the 12A or 13B rotary engines were on offer. The piston-engined variants were exported as the Mazda 929. A rotary-engined version was exported to "general issue" countries and sold as an RX-9. Most RX-9s were sold with the smaller 12A engine.

Engines:

1977–1981 1.8 L (1769 cc) I4, 2-barrel, /
1977–1981 2.0 L F/MA (1970 cc) I4, 1-barrel,
1977–1978 12A
1977–1981 13B, /
1980–1981 2.2 L diesel, /

Mazda 929L Estate, Automatic, 1981.jpg|Facelift 929L estate

Mazda 929 2.0 Hardtop 1981 (15908675432).jpg|Facelift 929 hardtop sedan

Hainan-Mazda HMC6470 01 China 2018-03-06.jpg|Haima HMC6470L

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HB series (1981–1986)

The next generation of Luce was built on the HB platform. Production started in October 1981.

The HC platform came out in two variations during its five-year span that had identical engines and interior but with two distinct body shapes; a pillared four-door sedan or a slightly larger pillarless four-door hardtop. While the pillared model was common in all countries that allowed the importation of the 929 (including the US and Canada), the pillarless model was predominantly seen in the Asian and Australian markets.

The Canadian 929 came with a "Winter Package" option and included heated seats, a higher grade alternator, winter tires and non-recessed windshield wipers. A five-speed manual gearbox was an option, but most North American 929s were two-mode ('power' and 'economy') electronic four-speed automatics. Top speed was . A 0– time of 9.2 seconds was recorded using the manual gearbox; the automatics were somewhat slower at 10 seconds.

The first 3.0-liter V6 engine seen in the 1986–1989 929 was a Single Overhead Cam type with 18 valves. When Mazda released the higher-spec 929S model for the 1990–1991 period, the engine was upgraded to a Double Overhead Cam type with 24 valves, slightly increasing fuel economy, performance and reliability. Also in the revised edition came the presence of an anti-lock braking system, ventilated rear disc brakes and a few inconspicuous changes to the exterior. The standard 18-valve SOHC remained in the base model 929.

After mainstream production ended in May 1991, the HC remained in production until January 1996 for taxi applications in Japan.

2.0 L JFT V6, FI, / (JDM only)
2.0 L JFT V6, FI turbocharged, / (JDM only)
1986–1991 3.0 L (2954 cc) JE V6, FI, /182 lb·ft (247 Nm)
3.0 L JE V6, FI, ,

Mazda Luce Royal Classic HCSS.jpg|Mazda Luce Royal Classic (sedan; facelift)

Mazda Luce Royal Classic HCSS rear.jpg|Rear view (sedan; facelift)

1990 Mazda 929 V6i - 33,000km (16591730067).jpg|Interior

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Kia Potentia

When the HC series Luce was replaced with the Mazda Sentia, it continued to be manufactured in South Korea at Kia Hwasung plant as the Kia Potentia. The Potentia was produced from 1992 until 2002 using the 2.0-liter four-cylinder Mazda FE-DOHC engine— which was the same as used in the first generation Kia Sportage's gasoline version — a 2.2-liter four-cylinder, and a 3.0-liter V6. The V6 model was called the President trim level.

In May 1997 the Potentia was given a thorough facelift, with a bulkier, more aggressive front design and heavier looking taillights. Sold as the "New Potentia," this facelift was developed by Kia themselves and was not used by Mazda. The upper versions of the Potentia were replaced by the more expensive Kia Enterprise, which was based on the Mazda Sentia and was introduced in 1997 after the Sentia was cancelled. The New Potentia was realigned in the marketplace and was now offered with a narrower range of engines and transmissions. The manual transmission, always a slow seller in South Korea, was discontinued and the engines were limited to a 2.0-liter four and a 2.5-liter V6. There was also an LPG-powered 2-liter four available. The New Potentia was unable to compete with the more modern Hyundai Grandeur and the Samsung SM5 and was partially replaced by the somewhat smaller Kia Optima beginning in 2000; the Potentia remained in production until May 2002.

0 Kia Potentia 1.jpg|Kia Potentia

1 Kia Potentia.jpg|Kia Potentia facelift

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References

de:Mazda 929

fr:Mazda RX-4

fr:Mazda 929

pt:Mazda 929

sco:Mazda RX-4

fi:Mazda 929

zh:Ẽfini MS-9