Officials broke ground — with a robot — in November on the joint venture plant between Mazda and Toyota in Huntsville. Mazda Toyota Manufacturing USA Inc. (MTMUS) is expected to have the capacity to build 300,000 vehicles a year, beginning in 2021, and 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 was unveiled Nov. 15 in California, and Mazda’s yet-to-be-revealed crossover model.
“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.”
Officials from both companies hope the alliance will assure competitiveness in manufacturing, letting both automakers respond quickly to market changes and helping to ensure sustainable growth toward the future of mobility.
“It is extremely special to have a partner like Mazda to team up with, not only to make the highest-quality cars but also to create a plant that team members are proud to call their own,” said Jim Lentz, chief executive officer, Toyota Motor North America.
