Mazda starts building Mexico plant

• Mexico facility has 140,000 capacity
• Mexico will build Mazda 2 and Mazda 3 for Central and South America

Japanese car firms are now actively spreading their manufacturing base around the world, building regional production hubs.

Car companies are making the move in order to spread their risk in the light of the mega earthquake that shook eastern Japan and nearly brought the entire Japanese automotive industry finding to a halt.

Mazda has broken ground in Salamanca, Mexico, for a new production facility that can build 140,000 vehicles per year.
The plant will provide the Central and South American markets with the Mazda 2 and Mazda 3.

Follow the jump for the full Press Release




PRESS RELEASE


Mazda, Sumitomo Begin Construction of Mexican Production Facility 

SALAMANCA, Mexico—Mr. Bruno Ferrari, Minister of Economy of Mexico in representation of
Mexico’s President Felipe Calderón, was the guest of honor at a ceremony held today to mark the
beginning of construction of a  new vehicle production facility jointly owned by Mazda Motor
Corporation and Sumitomo Corporation. The joint venture facility is named Mazda Motor
Manufacturing de Mexico S.A. de C.V. (MMMdM) and is located in the city of Salamanca, in the state
of Guanajuato.
The ceremony was hosted by Mazda Motor Corporation’s Representative Director and Chairman of
the Board, President  and CEO, Takashi Yamanouchi, and Sumitomo’s Executive Vice President,
Kazuo Ohmori, on the site where the plant will be built. Attending dignitaries included the Guanajuato
State Governor, Juan Manuel Oliva, the Mayor of Salamanca, Antonio Ramírez, the General Director
of ProMéxico, Carlos Guzmán, the President of the Economic Commission of the State Congress,
Alejandro Rangel, and Japan’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Mexico, Shuichiro
Megata. In total, approximately 400 people attended the ceremony.
“Since Mazda established its sales network in  Mexico six years ago, we have experienced a
remarkable acceptance from the people of Mexico. Last year Mazda sold over twenty-five thousand
vehicles and captured over three percent market share,” said Mazda’s President Yamanouchi. “We
are excited to be constructing this new facility here in Mexico with our partner Sumitomo Corporation.
It will be vital to bolstering our expansion in Central and South America.”
Sumitomo’s Executive Vice President Ohmori  said, “The state of Guanajuato and the Sumitomo
Group have a lot in common. Both were established over 400 years ago and developed through a
history of mining. We also share the value of respect for people  and the desire to contribute to
society and grow together with our partners. By integrating our strengths with those of our strategic
partner Mazda Motor Corporation, and those of Mexico and of Japan, I believe our joint venture will
grow to become world-class, and will help us to contribute to the development of both countries.”
Through the new manufacturing facility, Mazda and  Sumitomo intend to combine their individual
strengths in order to enhance both companies’ business in the rapidly growing Central and South
American markets. The new facility will include  both vehicle and engine assembly plants and will
commence operations in the fiscal year ending March 2014 with an annual production capacity of
140,000 units. It will produce Mazda2 (Mazda Demio in Japan) and Mazda3 (Mazda Axela in Japan)
models.
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