Mazda and Ford JV to Invest $350M in Next Gen Pickup Truck

Mazda and Ford joint venture AutoAlliance Thailand (AAT) will be investing US$350 million in its pickup plant, supporting facility upgrade and supplier tooling for the production of next generation compact pickup trucks. Once completed, this will increase Mazda and Ford’s total joint investment in the AutoAlliance Thailand facility to more than US$1.85 billion since operations began in 1995.

“Today’s investment announcement marks another important step forward in AAT’s development as a state-of-the-art manufacturing hub,” said Toshinori Kusuhashi, president, AutoAlliance Thailand.

"Through the ongoing support of the Thai government, Thailand’s automotive industry has continued to grow and become more efficient, enabling AAT to build and export world-class pickup trucks and cars. This new investment will enable us to continue to enhance the one-ton pickup’s reputation as product champion of Thailand’s automotive industry.”

The investment program will also dedicate resources to workforce training and development to ensure that AAT employees have the skills required to meet the high standards the new compact pickup truck program will require.

“The new investment means that AAT will continue to be a global centre of excellence for the production of both brands’ compact pickup trucks, and play an important role in Mazda’s global strategy,” said Masaharu Yamaki, Mazda’s representative director and executive vice president.

AAT successfully exports Ford and Mazda pickup trucks to more than 130 markets around the world. In July 2007, AutoAlliance Thailand celebrated one million units of production since the facility began manufacturing vehicles in 1998.