Founded in the early 1960s as Leonidas Lara e Hijos, it assumed its current name with the beginning of its association with Fiat in 1973.
The origins of the Compañia Colombiana Automotriz go back to the 1960s, when Leonidas Lara and his family acquired a warehouse which would become the main headquarters, but was initially known as the assembly plant for the Willys marketed in Colombia at the time.
[1] In 1982 the Compañia Colombiana Automotriz S.A. (CCA) then owner , Salomon Kassin flew to japan, talked with companies to produce in Colombia.
He stayed with and introduced the Mazda brand in the Colombian market, hoping to capitalize on Japan's growing reputation for technological advancement and quality in their production.
Introduced the new Mazda 323, with softer lines and contours, available in NX versions (taxi), HS, NT and NS, with engines of 1.3 and 1.5 liters.
The Mazda 626 also saw a new edition called the New Breed, with increased engine displacement to 2.0 liters for the LX and a sharper body design profile.
In August electrical engineer José Fernando Isaza was named by the government as president of the CCA.
The national government started implementing the policy of opening up imports as part of an Andean regional integration plan.
The new Mazda B-Series, assembled in-house, was introduced in single and double cab editions with 2.2 and 2.6 liter engines, both in 4x2 and 4x4.
José Fernando Isaza retired in April after 20 years of service with the company, succeeded by Fabio Arturo Sanchez.