It was little remarked upon outside of Japan when longtime Mazda Motor Corp. insider Hisakazu Imaki became the automaker's president and chief executive in 2003.

But Imaki, the first Japanese to head Mazda since Ford Motor Co. acquired a controlling one-third interest in the company in 1996, has made his presence felt.

The 64-year-old engineer has helped redesign Mazda's manufacturing processes, turning the company into a model of lean efficiency.

Imaki headed Mazda's research and development efforts just as then-company President Mark Fields launched a product-oriented turnaround plan that has been bearing fruit for three years. (Fields is now head of Ford's American automotive operations and is a key architect of the Way Forward turnaround plan intended to reverse the Dearborn, Mich., automaker's tumbling fortunes.)

Since taking over at Mazda, Imaki has overseen the launch of several successful vehicles, including a revised MX-5 roadster (formerly the Miata), the hot-selling Mazda3 sport compact, the Mazda6 sedan, the Mazda5 compact minivan and a pair of car-based crossover utility vehicles, the CX-7 and CX-9, designed for North America.

Their success has helped Mazda achieve record profit in its 2005 fiscal year and again in 2006. Imaki, speaking through an interpreter, discussed his company with The Times during a break from a North American Mazda dealer conference this week in Laguna Beach.

Q: The rotary engine, which you use in the RX-8 sports car, has helped set Mazda apart in the U.S. But it is harder with a rotary to achieve both low emissions and good fuel economy. Is that engine done for?

A: Oh, no. We do not intend to withdraw from the rotary. In fact, were are now developing the next generation of that engine.

Oh, no. We do not intend to withdraw from the rotary. In fact, were are now developing the next generation of that engine.