Sorry to disappoint fans of Austin Powers, but today’s feature is brought to you by the HVAC engineers at Mazda and is a swinging fan of a different type.
In the late 1980s, Mazda introduced the ‘SWING’ feature on their 626 and 929 models. This was not a throwback to the 1960s, but instead the button activated an electric motor which oscillated or panned the upper A/C vents and airflow from side-to-side. Though it may have seemed gimmicky, it was quite a useful feature and it did a great job of circulating air in the cabin. It also avoided freezing your hands or other body parts that would otherwise be hit by constant blast of cold air.
The feature was available for 10 years or so, before giving way to more modern and sophisticated climate control systems with computer controlled airflow. Nonetheless, it was a neat innovation and very popular among Mazda enthusiasts at the time.
