Monday, June 6, 2011

Mazda plans to pull out of Flat Rock

By  Joseph Szczesny
  Mazda Motor Corp, has confirmed it pulling out Flat Rock that in now shares with the Ford Motor Co.
 Mazda has built cars at the Auto Alliance plant in Flat Rock since the mid-1980s but said it is planning to build the next version of the midsized Mazda6 in Japan rather than the United States.  "Currently, production of the Mazda6 (known as Atenza in Japan) exists in three locations: at our Hofu Plant in Japan, AutoAlliance International in Michigan and at First Automotive Works Car Co., Ltd. in Changchun, China. Our intention is to transfer production of our next CD-car for North America from AAI and consolidate it at Hofu in order to improve production and investment efficiencies and optimize our business," said Takashi Yamanouchi, President and CEO of Mazda Motor Corporation. "The decision was made after carefully assessing all risks and opportunities, including global needs, changing demand in North America, and exchange rate exposure. Going forward, Mazda will strive to maintain and grow our business in America."
"The decision to relocate to Hofu and consolidate the production of the next CD-car makes the most sense for our business," Yamanouch said. "However, we are committed to working with Ford, our joint venture partner in AAI, to identify potential future opportunities for the plant,” Yamanouchi said. 
 The Flat Rock plant is also currently used to build the Ford Mustang.  Mazda  didn’t announce when it expected to end production in Flat Rock but it could be in the next 12 months.

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