HUNTSVILLE, Alabama — Mazda Toyota Manufacturing (MTM) today announced the first vehicle in the production lineup at its Alabama manufacturing plant – the all-new Corolla Cross – following on the heels of a Toyota announcement this morning.

The joint venture partnership between Mazda Motor Corp. and Toyota Motor Corp. is in a hiring boom to prepare for production on the Corolla Cross at the Huntsville facility later this year, along with an as-yet-to-be-announced Mazda vehicle.

“We are excited to manufacture the all-new Corolla Cross and I’m proud of our team members’ tremendous work in preparation for the start of production,” said Mark Brazeal, MTM’s vice president of administration.

“We are continuing to hire new team members and I look forward to completing our MTM family so we can build high-quality vehicles for our customers, just like we built this plant from the ground up,” he added.

HIRING PUSH

MTM said it will hire more than 2,000 additional employees to join its existing workforce in Huntsville, eventually reaching up to 4,000 once production is in full operation next year.

The Alabama plant has the capacity to produce 300,000 vehicles a year, evenly split between the two nameplates. Construction on the facility began in early 2019.

“North Alabama welcomed us with open arms, and I hope the community is just as excited as we are about our first vehicle, the Corolla Cross,” said Janette Hostettler, MTM’s vice president of production.

“This will truly be a product of Alabama, assembled right here and sold all over the country,” she added.

MTM’s investment increased to more than $2.3 billion when the parent companies announced an additional $830 million commitment last summer. The additional investment, announced in August 2020, will allow MTM to incorporate more cutting-edge technologies into its manufacturing processes.

Greg Canfield, Secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce, said MTM’s investment in its Huntsville assembly plant is poised to transform the North Alabama region.

“We’re confident that the groundbreaking collaboration between Mazda and Toyota will drive growth not only for the companies but also for North Alabama for generations,” Secretary Canfield said.

The all-new Corolla Cross will expand the production lineup of Alabama’s auto industry, which by the end of 2021 will assemble 15 different models.

Toyota announced plans for the Corolla Cross earlier today.

(Courtesy of Made in Alabama)