Mazda Protegé

The Mazda Protegé is a car introduced in 1989 in North America as an upscale alternative to Mazda's entry level 323 hatchback. It was first known as the Mazda 323 Protege, then became known as the Protege. The Protege replaced the 323 as Mazda's entry level option in 1995.

The Protege has always been more expensive than it's entry-level competitors, such as the Toyota Camry and Honda Civic, partly due to its manufacture in Japan, and therefore, is not as ubiquitous. A perenial favourite of car magazines, the Protege is well regarded for its spirited handleing.

For the 2003 model year, Mazda introduced two new varients of the Protege, a 5-door wagon (Protege5) and a limited edition model featuring a 450 Watt stereo system with in-dash MP3 player (the Mazda MP3). In 2004 they introduced a model with a turbo-charger to improve the car's acceleration. This was also the last year for the production of the Protege.

The Protege has been replaced in Mazda's North American lineup by the Mazda3, which shared a platform with the latest generation Ford Focus. The "3" comes in both 4-door sedan and 5-door hatchback varieties.