Mazda Toyota Manufacturing Reaches a Seven-Figure Milestone
The one millionth vehicle arrives a little more than five years after the Huntsville plant began mass production. The joint venture between Mazda Motor Corporation and Toyota Motor Corporation was announced in 2018, and the facility, a roughly $2.3 billion investment, is the only location of its kind in the world. Production of the Corolla Cross began in September 2021 on the plant’s Apollo line, and the CX-50 followed in January 2022 on the Discovery line, a pairing of two side-by-side assembly lines under one roof.
At the time of the CX-50’s launch, the plant was projected to reach an annual capacity of 300,000 vehicles once fully ramped, with half of that capacity allocated to Mazda’s new crossover. The CX-50 also carried symbolic weight for its maker: it was the first new Mazda built on American soil since 2012, and a model conceived specifically for the North American market.
Erik Skaggs, senior vice president of Mazda Toyota Manufacturing, framed the achievement as the product of the workforce rather than the machinery. He described reaching one million vehicles as an extraordinary accomplishment that reflects the dedication, skill and teamwork of team members, and said the company has sought since breaking ground to build a culture of collaboration alongside its vehicles.
Mazda Toyota Manufacturing Directs $120,000 to Workforce Partners
Rather than keep the focus solely on the assembly line, MTM announced $120,000 in grant funding for four organizations that have supported the company with training and workforce development from start-up through the present day. The recipients are Calhoun Community College, Kids to Love, Morgan County Schools and the Alabama Automotive Manufacturers Association. During the event, MTM highlighted the impact each organization has had on its team.
The grants continue a pattern of community giving that predates the first vehicle. At its groundbreaking, MTM donated $750,000 to support STEM-related programs intended to encourage students to pursue careers in advanced manufacturing. The company later launched the Inaugural Mazda Toyota Manufacturing Grant Fund, which distributed an additional $180,000 to 10 local nonprofit organizations.
The mix of recipients spans the pipeline that feeds a modern auto plant: a community college, a public school system, an industry trade association and a nonprofit. Together, they reflect the range of training and support relationships a plant of this scale relies on as it hires and develops thousands of production team members.
Mazda Toyota Manufacturing and the Huntsville Business Community
Chip Cherry, president and CEO of the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber, said the plant has become an invaluable part of the community and regional economy. He credited the company’s investment in local organizations, workforce development and regional partnerships, calling MTM a great community partner and congratulating the team on the milestone.
The remarks echo the view Alabama officials held when the plant was still ramping up. Greg Canfield, then Alabama’s Secretary of Commerce, described the Mazda-Toyota collaboration in 2022 as a driver of significant additional growth in the state’s auto sector, noting that five different automakers were by then building vehicles in Alabama.
Mazda Toyota Manufacturing’s Lineup Expands Beyond Gasoline
The plant’s product range has widened since the early days of its first two models. MTM now assembles the Toyota Corolla Cross and Corolla Cross HEV, along with the Mazda CX-50 and CX-50 Hybrid. The addition of hybrid variants brings electrified powertrains to both lines, extending the plant’s role in the electrified crossover segment that has become central to both parent companies’ North American plans.
The facility has created more than 4,500 jobs, a figure that has grown from the roughly 4,000 positions originally targeted when production began. The Corolla Cross, notably, is built at no other North American facility.
What One Million Vehicles Represents for Mazda Toyota Manufacturing
For a plant that built its first vehicle in the autumn of 2021, one million units marks a steady climb from a launch period shaped by supply constraints and a staged hiring ramp. By early in the plant’s life, MTM had built more than 125,000 vehicles, including more than 90,000 Corolla Cross models and more than 35,000 CX-50 models. The jump to seven figures reflects years of sustained output from two lines running two distinct nameplates.
MTM’s message at the celebration tied the number to the people and partners behind it. With the grants announced, the company closed the milestone by pointing back to the schools, training providers and nonprofits that have supplied and supported its workforce since the first Corolla Cross rolled off the Apollo line.