1967 at Steel's Motor Assemblies, which also built the Toyota Corona and later became Toyota New Zealand's Christchurch plant after a government order for 672 units. The model remained in local assembly at various plants for several generations. The B series was introduced to the United States with the 1972 B1600. In 1974, the similar rotary-powered Rotary Pickup was released in the US. The engine was enlarged to 1.8-liters for 1975's B1800, a model that had been available to Canadian customers since around 1970. It was known in the Japanese market as the "Proceed", where it was also sold as the Ford Courier. Its strong sales in the US market—mostly with Ford badging—relieved Mazda's pressing cash flow troubles in the period following the 1970s energy crisis. Engines: 1972-1975 – 1.3 L (1272 cc) TC I4 (BTA67) 1965-1971 – 1.5 L (1484 cc) UA OHV I4 (BUD61) 1971–1976 – 1.6 L (1586 cc) NA I4 (BNA61), SAE at 6000 rpm 1970–1977 – 1.8 L (1796 cc) VB I4 (BVD61), SAE at 5500 rpm (1970, Canada) 1974–1977 – 1.3 L (654 cc x 2) 13B (PA136/SPA136) Rotary Engine Pickup The Rotary Engine Pick-up (REPU) was the world's first and only Wankel-engined pickup truck. It was sold from 1974 to 1977 and was only available in the North American Market. The Rotary-Engined Pickup (REPU) had a four-port 1.3-liter 13B four-barrel carbureted engine, flared fenders, a battery mounted under the bed, a different dash, a front grille, and round taillights. In the first model year, 1974, 14,366 were sold in North America Most were made for the 1974 model year (PA136 chassis), but the effect of the energy crisis on sales caused Mazda to restamp many of the 1974 models with a prefix "S", designating them as 1975 models; (SPA136). Sales dropped, with 632 units sold in the 1976 model year, when the four-speed manual transmission was upgraded to a five-speed. Mazda invested in a moderate redesign for the 1977 model (PA236), updating its electrical systems and adding a cab stretch for increased comfort. Sales never recovered with 1,161 sold in 1977, after which the REPU was discontinued. Road & Track magazine was impressed with its "smooth, quiet power" and "nice" interior. The vehicle retailed for about ; its observed fuel economy was . Most of the trucks are found on the West Coast of the US; they continue to be sought out by