Mazda Laputa

Mazda Laputa

Manufacturer	Mazda
Also called	Suzuki Kei
Production	1999-2006
Successor	Mazda Spiano
Class	Kei car
Body style	3-door hatchback 5-door hatchback
Engine	659 cc petrol

The Mazda Laputa is a clone of the aptly named Suzuki Kei. It was a kei car from Mazda in Japan. The Laputa was introduced in 1999 as a sort of SUV/kei car mix. The Laputa was restyled slightly for 2001 and was retired in 2006. The Laputa was available with front- or all wheel drive and as a 3-door hatchback or 5-door station wagon. Both SOHC and DOHC engines were used.

Global market

The car's name derives from the book Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift [1]. Similarly to the Nissan Moco and the Mitsubishi Pajero, the name is fortuituously unfit for Portuguese and Spanish-speaking countries, since "la puta" in Spanish means literally "the whore" ("moco" means "snot" or "booger" and "pajero" may be understood as "wanker" or "liar" in some American countries).