In the next step toward their Huntsville venture, Mazda Motor Corp. and Toyota Motor Corp. have announced the establishment of a joint-venture company.
Mazda Toyota Manufacturing USA, Inc., or (MTMUS), says the full-scale construction of its $1.6 billion Huntsville plant will begin in 2019. When fully operational in 2021, the plant is expected to employ 4,000 people.
Both Mazda and Toyota will have a 50 percent stake in the company, with Mazda Executive Officer Masashi Aihara serving as president and Hironori Kagohashi, executive general manager of Toyota, serving as executive vice president.
"We hope to make MTMUS a plant that will hold a special place in the heart of the local community for many, many years," Aihara said in a statement. "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," he said.
Kagohashi said the new plant will be Toyota's 11th U.S. factory.
"We are committed to realizing 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 said.
Both Mazda and Toyota plan to produce up to 150,000 vehicles each at the plant annually. Toyota plans to make Corollas, while Mazda still has yet to unveil a crossover for the North American market.
In collaboration with the state of Alabama and the city of Huntsville, MTMUS will soon begin land preparation for the new plant.