Japanese carmaker Mazda is planning to invest about JPY26bn ($285.5m) to build a new automatic transmission manufacturing plant in the Chonburi Province of Thailand.
The new Mazda Powertrain Manufacturing (Thailand) (MPMT) facility, with a capacity of manufacturing about 400,000 units per year, is being built to meet the rising demand for its models equipped with Skyactiv Technology as well as reinforce its global production footprint.
Mazda President and CEO, chairman of the board, representative director Takashi Yamanouchi said that the company is establishing global production footprints in order to achieve its goal of an annual global sales volume of 1.7 million units by fiscal year ending March 2016.
"The Nakanoseki district of Hofu Plant will remain the chief production facility for transmissions, but we have decided to establish a second major transmission plant in Thailand's Chonburi Province," Yamanouchi said.
"This will enable Mazda to cope with the rapidly increasing demand for Skyactiv models and establish a production system capable of responding to the changing demands of our customers in a flexible and timely manner."
Upon the scheduled commencement of operations by March 2016, the facility will deliver Skyactiv-Drive automatic transmissions for Skyactiv models manufactured at the carmaker's joint venture production facility, AutoAlliance (AAT), as well as other vehicle manufacturing facilities globally.
