The BD Familia, first shown on 2 June 1980, was entirely new – it was Mazda's first front-engine, front-wheel-drive subcompact car, and was available as a hatchback and sedan. It was developed with input from Ford, which in 1979 had acquired a stake in the Japanese manufacturer, and had a twin called the Ford Laser (and Ford Meteor, for its four-door sedan model in Australia).

At its introduction in 1980, it won the first Car of the Year Japan Award.