New Thai Plant Mazda’s Second Global Production BaseNew Thai Plant Mazda’s Second Global Production Base

Japanese automaker Mazda’s soon-to-open Thai factory will build pickup trucks and eco-cars, as well as transmissions and engibnes, for local and export markets.

Hidesuke Takesue, Mazda Thailand’s newly appointed president, says the new facility, designed to build vehicles, transmissions and engines, is almost complete and will begin production in 2015.

“The parent company plans to use the Thai factory as the global blueprint, with 60% of production serving the domestic market and the rest for export,” Takesue tells the Bangkok Post.

“However, the proportion may change each year, based on market demand.”

Production capacity at the new plant includes 200,000 engines and 400,000 SkyActiv transmissions.

Mazda also operates the 140,000-unit-capacity AutoAlliance production facility in a joint venture with Ford. Mazda builds 120,000 units a year at the plant – 70,000 pickup trucks and 50,000 cars.

Ford recently moved its car-production line from AutoAlliance to its own plant in Rayong. Its pickup line remains at the JV plant.

Mazda last month began Thai production of its Mazda2 eco-car involving an investment of TB12.6 billion ($382.6 million) at the Auto Alliance facility.

The newspaper says of this, TB9.7 billion ($295.5 million) will be used to build 158,000 eco-cars and 200,000 auto parts annually. The other TB2.9 billion ($87 million) is earmarked for engine production due to start in January.

Elsewhere, parent company Mazda reports in Japan that overseas production rose 40.7% in November to 40,405 units, while the domestic build fell 26.6% to 62,492. This left global production off 9.7% for the month at 102,897.

With one month of the year to go, overseas output was up 33.6% at 358,852 units, while domestic builds were down 2.9% at 862,110. Mazda’s worldwide output after 11 months was up 5.6% at 1,220,962 units.