It featured a rear-mounted 782 cc water-cooled OHV SA 4-stroke engine driving the rear wheels.

Mazda also showed an electrically powered version of the van, which could reach 75 km/h (47 mph), and with a 60 km (37 mi) range.

Production ended in 1975, due to Mazda suffering serious economic troubles, and upcoming stricter emissions regulations for 1976, influenced by the original United States Federal Clean Air Act of 1963.

The rear-engined Bongos had a full chassis (using the same Mazda 1000 engine as other variants mounted to a four-speed transaxle at the rear), and were very strong, and due to the low gearing, able to carry half a ton.

The British market only received the long wheelbase 1-tonne panel van version with small, twinned rear wheels, and a five-speed manual gearbox with a column-mounted shifter.

SWB and LWB window petrol vans also sold in passenger-carrying Ford Econowagon form.

[10] Luxury-oriented passenger models were sold under the Ford Spectron name as high-roof eight-seaters.

[11] The Spectron name was also introduced for the Japanese market in 1981, on the facelifted version of the second generation Bongo.

The entry-level Econovan offered a 4-metre (13.1 ft) length, 1.8-litre petrol engine, five-speed manual of four-speed automatic, single rear wheels, in three-seater steel-sided or six seater XL window-sided forms.

[15][16] The 4.4-metre (14.4 ft) long Econovan Maxi offered a high roof, 2.0-litre petrol engine with five-speed manual or four-speed automatic, single rear wheels, and three-seater steel-sided or six seater XL window-sided forms.

[14] Dual rear wheels were available for the 2.0-litre petrol or a 2.2-litre diesel, both with five-speed manual and as steel-sided vans.

[14] In 1986, four-wheel drive became an option for the 4.7-metre long model in conjunction with the windowed body work, manual transmission, and 2.0-litre engine.

The Brawny was larger than the regular Bongo in by all key measures (wheelbase, length, width, height, and weight).

In Korea, it is also known as Kia Wide Bongo for truck variant and Kia Besta for van variant In June 1999, a new generation of Bongo vans and trucks went on sale, which were also rebadged as the Mazda E-series, Ford Econovan, Mitsubishi Delica Van/Truck, and Nissan Vanette.

[20] Mazda's difficult business environment at the time meant they could not afford to build a full brand new platform.

All of them had fold-down seats downstairs to make a double bed, and on many models there was an "Auto Free Top" elevating roof which could sleep two more people.

In September 2001, a facelifted version appeared, with a revised body style and different engines, although the 2.5 turbo-diesel continued unchanged.

Petrol Diesel The Bongo was reintroduced in July 2020 in Japan and based on the Daihatsu Gran Max.

The Bongo Brawny was reintroduced in April 2019 in Japan as a badge engineered fifth-generation Toyota HiAce.