Mazda Production in Japan Full Speed Ahead

The effects of the disaster which struck Japan on March 11 seem to slowly fade away, as Mazda today announced its assembly plants in the country have returned to normal operational levels, including overtime and holiday shifts. The company predicts it will be able to achieve a domestic production volume of 900,000 units during the current fiscal year (April 2011-March 2012).

Mazda also announced its financial forecast, predicting sales revenue of 2.19 trillion yen based on a global sales target of 1.305 million units for the period April 2011 through March 2012.

This is up slightly over last year’s global sales result and translates into a predicted operating profit of 20 billion yen and a net income of 1 billion yen. These positive forecasts are based on several factors including a continuation of cost reductions and the upcoming launch of the first of Mazda’s next-generation vehicles that combine breakthrough SKYACTIV technology with an exciting new design language, KODO – the Soul of Motion.

“Our return to normal production in Japan testifies to the courage and ingenuity of the Japanese people and our colleagues there,” said Jeff Guyton, President and CEO Mazda Motor Europe. “This puts us in a strong position to sustain and grow our business in Europe, recognizing both the great line-up we have in showrooms today, and also the superb new vehicles coming with SKYACTIV Technology.”

Early last week, the Japanese automaker also announced it will open a vehicle production facility in Mexico and a sales company in Brazil, in alliance with Sumitomo Corporation, in order to enhance both companies’ business in the rapidly growing Central and South American markets.