Toyota-Mazda Assembly Plant Opening Delayed
Mazda Toyota Manufacturing will have to wait a while before it manufactures any automobiles. The jointly operated facility in Huntsville, Alabama won’t open next spring as planned. It’s delayed on account of the coronavirus outbreak.
Designed to produce collaborative crossovers, the facility came to be after state and local governments floated $800 million in incentives to temp the automakers. Apparently good enough, the $1.6-billion project launched under the assumption that the first of two production lines would be operational by April of 2021. That date has been pushed back indefinitely as Toyota and Mazda assess the situation.
“On April 9, we informed state and local government officials in Alabama, along with our key suppliers how the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting our ability to maintain critical equipment delivery schedules, creating labor shortages, and slowing construction. As a result, we will delay the start of production of the Mazda Toyota Manufacturing plant to a time period later in 2021. We are eager to keep the project moving forward and appreciate the ongoing support of all key stakeholders,” Toni Eberhart, spokesperson for the project, explained.
“As a result, we will delay the start of production of the Mazda Toyota Manufacturing plant to a time period later in 2021. We are eager to keep the project moving forward and appreciate the ongoing support of all key stakeholders.”
The facility is expected to provide jobs for 4,000 Alabamians, with nearby suppliers delivering an additional 1,500 (or more) positions for the area. Unfortunately, the pandemic is likely to delay their completion, as well. Local outlets reported the Mazda Toyota Manufacturing, U.S.A. (MTMUS) campus will probably stall construction on supportive facilities using the site.
On the upshot, COVID-19 has lessened traffic immensely and Limestone County plans to widen I-565. The highway had already earned a reputation for its frequent traffic jams. In order to better facilitate commerce stemming from MTMUS and keep locals moving on their daily commutes, the state rejiggered the formerly contentious program to ensure it came in under budget. With nobody going anywhere, now seems like the ideal time to engage in some roadwork.
[Image: Toyota]
Consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulations. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, he has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed about the automotive sector by national broadcasts, participated in a few amateur rallying events, and driven more rental cars than anyone ever should. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and learned to drive by twelve. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer and motorcycles.
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I think they spent more than that as there were improvements done at the Port of Mobile and the connecting infrastructure to facilitate movement of the product. Fortunately I suppose I am in the city limits of Huntsville in Madison County, so I guess I am only on the hook for the state level improvements and the new AA ballpark. Can't have all of those folks in Madison driving over to the East side to the perfectly good ballpark that was already there and could have been renovated. They might see a poor person.
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