The Ford Ixion is one of the more unusual cars to wear a Ford badge. It was a compact people mover sold mainly in Japan from 1999, and under the skin it was a Mazda Premacy, built by Mazda and rebadged for Ford dealers in that market. Because it was a Japanese market car rather than a European or American Ford, it is identified in a different way from the models most people picture when they think of a Ford VIN.
How a Ford Ixion is identified
Cars built for the Japanese home market do not use the seventeen character VIN that Ford applies in Europe and North America. Instead they carry a Japanese chassis number, a shorter code that starts with a model type prefix and is followed by a serial number. On the Ixion that prefix ties the car back to its Mazda Premacy origins. You will find the chassis number on the identification plate in the engine bay and on the vehicle documents, and it is the number an importer or a parts supplier will ask for.
What the Ixion actually is
Knowing the car is a rebadged Mazda Premacy is the single most useful fact for an owner. It means that for servicing, parts and technical information you are really looking after a Premacy of the same year. The Ixion was a small, practical five door with flexible seating, aimed at families who wanted more space than a normal hatchback without moving up to a full size van.
| Detail | Ford Ixion |
|---|---|
| Sold from | 1999, mainly in Japan |
| Built by | Mazda, as a rebadged Mazda Premacy |
| Body | Compact five door people mover |
| Identification | Japanese chassis number, not a Western seventeen character VIN |
Where to find the number on a Ford Ixion
Look for the maker’s plate in the engine bay and the stamped chassis number on the body, and check both against the import and registration paperwork. Because these cars reach other countries as used imports, matching the plate to the documents matters even more than usual, since the paperwork is what your local authority will register the car against.
Buying an imported Ford Ixion
Treat it as you would any used Japanese import. Confirm the chassis number on the car matches the papers, look for the service history, and remember that mechanically it is a Mazda Premacy, so a Mazda specialist can help where a Ford dealer may not recognise the name. A clean, well kept example with clear import documents is the one to hold out for.