Where Are Mazda Manufactured?

Many people purchase Mazda vehicles but wonder if the vehicle that they are purchasing was made in America or if it was made somewhere else in the world. Where are Mazda vehicles manufactured?

Mazda vehicles are manufactured in Japan; Flat Rock, Michigan; and Claycomo, Missouri. Most Mazda vehicles are manufactured in Japan, where the company originated. The Mazda Company was originally called Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd and originally made 3-wheel carts before beginning to manufacture cars.

Now that you know where Mazda vehicles are manufactured, you are likely wondering where your Mazda vehicle was made and about the history of the Mazda company. Keep reading to find out.

Mazda Manufacturing Plants

Mazda vehicles are for the most part manufactured in Japan, but some parts and models are manufactured in America. Mazda has manufacturing plants in the Japanese cities Fuchu, the Aki Hiroshima District, and Hiroshima Prefecture. It also has manufacturing plants in Flat Rock, Michigan; and Claycomo, Michigan. (Source)

Where Specific Mazda Vehicles Are Made

Mazda 3 vehicles are made and produced in Hofu and Yamaguchi, Japan, although the engine and transmission systems are made in Hiroshima.

The Mazda 5 Minivan, Mazda CX-5, MX-5 Roadster, and the RX-8 are made and produced in the Hiroshima, Japan facility.

All models of the Mazda 6 are made and produced in Flat Rock, Michigan; and Claycomo, Missouri in the United States. (Source)

All sedans, SUVs, and all other vehicles not mentioned above that are made by Mazda are made by other various facilities in Japan.

Mazda has also teamed up with Toyota to build a plant in Alabama.

“In the next step toward their Huntsville venture, Mazda Motor Corp. and Toyota Motor Corp. have announced the establishment of a joint-venture company.”

Source

Although Mazda manufactures many more vehicles, it is currently unclear specifically where they are manufactured. If you would like to know where your specific car was manufactured, ask the Mazda dealer and see if they have that information readily available.

History of Mazda

The Mazda company has quite an interesting history. They were founded in 1920 in Hiroshima, Japan by Jujiro Matsuda. They still have their international headquarters located in Hiroshima. The original company name was Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd, but they changed it to Tokyo Kogyo Co in 1927.

They changed it once again in 1984 to what it is called now. The current full name of the company is Mazda Motor Corporation, although most people just call it Mazda.

Originally, Mazda only made carts that had three wheels, but they started to also make tools for various industries. They later began making 3-wheeled motorcycles called the Mazdago. In 1960, they manufactured their first car, which was called the Mazda R360. They didn’t start selling and shipping to North America until 1970, and the first model they sold in America was the RX-2.

Akira Marumoto is the current CEO of Mazda, and he took over the company in 2018.

Although Mazda started manufacturing vehicles nearly 20 years after the first car was introduced, as cars were introduced to the public in 1920, the company has made a name for itself.

“Since more affordable cars were being demanded, Mazda started compiling designs for compact cars, trucks, and three-wheeled vehicles that ended up leading to the creation of the famous Mazda rotary engine.”

(Source)

Although Mazda is based in Hiroshima, Japan, many of its vehicles are sold in North America, although it sometimes takes a long time for customers to receive custom-made cars when they order them.

Do Ford and Mazda Work Together?

The Ford and Mazda companies no longer work together. Ford used to own 33.4% of the stock in the Mazda company, but they sold most of their shares between 2008-2015, and in 2014 they only held 2.1% of the stock in the Mazda company.

Mazda and Ford used to work together closely as Ford made some of the parts that Mazda used in their vehicles, and vice versa with Mazda. However, in 2014 the former CEO of Ford, Alan Mulally, cut production ties with Mazda and the two companies stopped working together. (Source)

One of the reasons why Mazda has manufacturing facilities in America is because of their previous connection to the Ford company, so they can attribute some of its success to its former business partner. In fact, it has been said that the Mazda manufacturing facilities used to be owned for the most part by Ford, but now Mazda owns them once more.

Toyota and Mazda

Nowadays, Toyota is one of the top four companies that own the most amount of stock in the Mazda company. As mentioned previously, Mazda and Toyota have teamed up to build a plant in Alabama.

The new combined company, Mazda Toyota Manufacturing USA, Inc., is now working to create new and exciting models. Mazda executives say that their new model will be designed specifically for American drivers. The new Mazda model should be revealed soon! (Source)

Overall, most of the vehicles that Mazda manufactures and sells are made in various areas of Japan, so they are technically considered to be foreign cars when they are purchased in America. However, once Mazda announces their new model to be made in Alabama, Americans may never go back to ordering a foreign car again!

If you are worried about it taking a long time for you to be able to get your car if you purchase one from Mazda, don’t worry because there are many Mazda vehicles that have been shipped to America, so you can purchase one and drive off in it on the same day. However, if you custom-order a car from Mazda and live in America, it may take a while for it to get here.

The Mazda company has come a long way from when they were founded, and it seems like they have nearly completely abandoned making vehicles with 3 wheels. Instead, they focus on manufacturing wonderful and powerful vehicles that have 4 wheels. If you want to purchase a Mazda car, you are making a good choice.