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Mazda begins mass production of the CX-5 for Malaysia and Thailand with the opening of a Mazda-exclusive vehicle assembly facility on the grounds of a plant owned by Inokom.
The CX-5 has been produced since March last year at a Mazda-exclusive body shop constructed as one of the measures to reinforce the local production framework.
The body shop and the newly opened assembly facility are the result of a 100 million ringgit ($31 million) investment by Mazda Malaysia.
Total annual production capacity of both facilities is about 20,000 units. Production of the all-new Mazda3 for Malaysia is scheduled to begin later this year.
Mazda says in a statement the body shop and vehicle assembly facility give Mazda more flexibility with its production plan and allows the automaker to implement enhanced quality-control measures.
The new plant is located 215 miles (340 km) north of Kuala Lumpur.
Mazda Malaysia is a joint venture between Mazda (70%) and Bermaz Motor (30%) that oversees the production and sales of Mazda vehicles in Malaysia.
Bermaz is 100% locally owned and its principal shareholder is Malaysian conglomerate Berjaya.
