Mazda-Toyota Plant Under Construction in U.S.

Toyota’s attempt to prop up an ailing Mazda along with the politically convenient claim about creating jobs?

In Huntsville, Alabama dirt is now moving for what will become a jointly owned-and-operated automotive production plant that will have the capacity to build 300,000 vehicles a year.

Beginning in 2021. Mazda Toyota Manufacturing, U.S.A., Inc. (MTMUS) is expected to create 4,000 jobs, with a $1.6 billion investment split by the two companies.

The plant will build Toyota’s Corolla, whose all-new 2020 model which will make its public debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show in California, and Mazda’s yet-to-be revealed crossover model. (Read AutoInformed on:  Toyota and Mazda JV to Build Cars in U.S. Trumped?, Mazda and Toyota Establish JV to build Vehicles in Alabama)

Japanese Goliath Toyota– the new plant will be Toyota’s 11th manufacturing facility in the U.S. – and tiny Mazda, which no longer builds here after the Ford Motor divorce,  claimed this is of mutual benefit by using the resources of both companies and complementing each other’s products and technologies toward the goal of making more appealing cars. (Mazda CX-5 Crossover Takes on Subaru Forester, Next Mazda B-Series Pickup to be Built by Isuzu, Mazda Drops Ford Motor in New Changan Mazda JV in China)

In AutoInformed’s view this appears to be Toyota’s attempt to prop up an ailing Mazda along with the politically convenient claim about creating jobs under nit-twit Trump who wants to bring jobs back to the U.S. If these are new jobs, how are they being brought back?

“We are proud to be here with Toyota, with whom we share the bond of pride in manufacturing,” said Kiyotaka Shobuda, Mazda’s senior managing executive officer. “We are proud to be breaking ground on a new ‘home’ here in Huntsville – a city that believes in the possibilities of technology and manufacturing and has striven to realize mankind’s greatest dream.”

The alliance will “assure competitiveness in manufacturing, allowing both automakers to respond quickly to market changes and helping to ensure sustainable growth toward the future of mobility.”

“As we’ve seen at our Huntsville engine plant, Alabamians are a proud, talented, hard-working group. We are excited to continue our deep investment in the U.S. and Alabama and see nothing but a bright future,” said Jim Lentz, chief executive officer, Toyota Motor North America.

Future Workforce

As part of the groundbreaking, MTMUS donated $750,000 to support STEM-related programs that will encourage students to pursue a career in the advanced manufacturing field. With 4,000 jobs to fill, MTMUS is committed to investing in developing its future workforce in collaboration with local educators and economic development partners.

The donation includes:

• $500,000 to the Huntsville Madison County Chamber Foundation to launch a new career exploration online platform that will help highlight careers in manufacturing to students, build skills and connect job seekers to opportunities. The goal is to work with local school systems and promote this tool as a resource for career coaches and teachers.
• $250,000 to be split between six school districts in Madison County, Limestone County and Morgan County. Support is aimed at STEM or career technical programs that align with advanced manufacturing. The schools include:
  •    Huntsville City Schools
  •     Madison County Schools
  •     Madison City Schools
  •     Limestone County Schools
  •     Decatur City Schools
  •     Morgan County Schools

The Mazda Foundation (USA), Inc. donated:

1. $50,000 to Boys & Girls Club of North Alabama
2. $50,000 to Food Bank of North Alabama
3. $20,000 to Greater Huntsville Humane Society

About Mazda

Mazda Motor Corporation, based in Hiroshima, Japan, was established in 1920, and became a vehicle manufacturer in 1931, when it began producing three-wheeled trucks. Mazda began selling vehicles in North America 50 years ago, this year, with the establishment of affiliate companies in Canada (Mazda Canada, Inc.) in 1968, in the United States (Mazda Motor of America, d/b/a Mazda North American Operations) in 1970, and in Mexico (Mazda Motor de Mexico) in 2006. Currently, Mazda does business in more than 130 countries around the world, and produces vehicles in Japan, Mexico, China and Thailand. Building passenger cars, commercial vehicles, and crossover SUVs, with an emphasis on the driving experience and a focus on design, engineering and efficient manufacturing, the company sells more than 1.55 million vehicles annually.

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. and North America for 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands. During that time, Toyota has created a tremendous value chain as our teams have contributed to world-class design, engineering, and assembly of more than 36 million cars and trucks in North America, where we operate 14 manufacturing plants (10 in the U.S.) and directly employ more than 47,000 people (more than 37,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.) sold more than 2.7 million cars and trucks (2.4 million in the U.S.) in 2017 – and about 87% of all Toyota vehicles sold over the past 15 years are still on the road today.