Mazda Motor and Ford will invest $27m in their AutoAlliance Thailand (AAT) joint-venture plant in Rayong, Thailand.
The new investment will increase pickup truck production capacity by 20,000 units per year, to 140,000, starting this May.
It will also include plant upgrades like additional robotic equipment and tooling to help increase line speed and output.
Production of the new Mazda BT-50 and Ford Ranger pickups, destined for the Thai domestic market and export markets, including Australia, will also be increased with the help of the investent.
The latest investment will increase AAT's commitment to nearly $2bn since operations started in 1995, and follows a $350m upgrade in 2010 for Ford Ranger and Mazda BT-50trucks.
Mazda Motor senior managing executive director Yuji Nakamine said the additional AAT investment is part of the strategic business partnership between Ford and the company.
"Additionally, it allows us to continue to meet exceptionally strong demand for our all-new BT-50," Nakamine said.
Ford ASEAN president Peter Fleet said that the new investment reinforces the company's long-term commitment to Thailand as a global production and export hub, and will allow it to meet the extraordinary demand for the all-new Ford Ranger.
AAT also builds the Ford Everest SUV, and passenger vehicles such as Ford Fiesta, Mazda2 (known in Japan as Demio) and Mazda3 (known in Japan as Axela) for sale in Thailand and for export to ASEAN and other markets.
