The Relationship Between Mazda And Ford Explained

With Ford bidding “sayonara” to its longtime Japanese partner, Mazda would once again find itself going it alone in the automobile manufacturing arena. The company would not maintain its independent status very long, however, striking up an even more unexpected partnership by the end of the 2010s. Said partnership is with Toyota, and if you think it was unusual that an American automaker would throw in with another Asian manufacturer, the idea of competing Japanese auto brands finding common ground for a collaboration is likely enough to make your head spin.

Still, the companies announced the joint venture in 2018, dubbing their partnership “Mazda Toyota Manufacturing, USA, Inc.” The collaboration between two of Japan’s biggest automakers was actually happening on U.S. soil, with MTM plotting to build a massive manufacturing plant in Huntsville, Alabama, capable of producing as many as 300,000 units per year, designating a 50/50 blend of brands.

The plant was completed in 2021, with production promptly ensuing on Toyota’s Corolla Cross, and the Mazda CX-50 going into production the following year. As of this writing, the collaboration appears to be going well, with Mazda and Toyota continuing to roll vehicles off their side-by-side production lines, and continuing to share technologies that are not only making their vehicles better but keeping them more than competitive in the American auto market.