Mazda and Toyota set up JV to make cars in the US

Mazda Motor Corporation and Toyota Motor Corporation have set up a new joint-venture company called Mazda Toyota Manufacturing, USA Inc (MTMUS) that will produce vehicles in Huntsville, Alabama starting in 2021.

The new plant will have the capacity to produce 150,000 units of Mazda's crossover model that will be newly introduced to the North American market and 150,000 units of the Toyota Corolla. The facility is expected to create up to 4,000 jobs. Toyota and Mazda are investing $1.6 billion towards this project with equal funding contributions.

"We hope to make MTMUS a plant that will hold a special place in the heart of the local community for many, many years," said Mazda's executive officer Masashi Aihara, who will serve as president of MTMUS. "By combining the best of our technologies and corporate cultures, Mazda and Toyota will not only produce high-quality cars but also create a plant employees will be proud to work at and contribute to the further development of the local economy and the automotive industry. We hope that cars made at the new plant will enrich the lives of their owners and become much more than just a means of transportation."

"The new plant, which will be Toyota's 11^th manufacturing facility in the US, not only represents our continuous commitment in this country, but also is a key factor in improving our competitiveness of manufacturing in the US," said Hironori Kagohashi, executive general manager of Toyota and MTMUS's executive vice-president. "We are committed to realising a highly competitive plant and producing vehicles with the best quality for customers by combining Toyota and Mazda's manufacturing expertise and leveraging the joint venture's synergies. Based on this competitiveness, we will make every effort to becoming a best-in-town plant that will be loved by our hometown," he added.

MTMUS will soon begin land preparation for the new plant, and the full-scale construction of the plant is expected to start in 2019.