Mazda Returns to U.S. Manufacturing

Cheers rang through the assembly floor as the first-ever Mazda CX-50 rolls off the line in Mazda’s grand return to manufacturing in the United States. Economic difficulties and the nationwide pandemic have made the journey back to U.S. soil a challenge, but not too long ago Mazda saw the brand new crossover SUV being released from the recently constructed plant in Huntsville, Alabama. The CX-50 is a brand new adventure for Mazda, representing a new leaf for the company with their newest and boldest crossover. The release and production of the first CX-50 is the start of a huge new chapter for Mazda, as the plant in Huntsville is the first time that a Mazda has been made in the U.S. for over ten years. Take a closer look at Mazda’s journey and a snapshot of the CX-50.

Returning To the US

The last Mazda plant in the United States was a joint venture between Ford Motors and Mazda in Flat Rock Michigan. While the plant still remained in production under the Ford umbrella, 2012 marked the end of a U.S. manufacturing presence for Mazda, who took its production back overseas to Japan. Mazda had a home in Michigan for decades, with immense popularity throughout the 60’s and 70’s. Mazda had more than just a manufacturing plant, but also an R&D center in Ann Arbor Michigan. Recession in 2008 and continued turbulence contributed to the company’s departure, but after ten years the company rode through a pandemic and returned to the United States by way of its plant in Huntsville Alabama.

Brand New Plant in Huntsville Alabama

Huntsville, Alabama is home to the newest site for Mazda Manufacturing and was born with a venture between Mazda and Toyota with the intent of producing both brands of vehicles. The brand-new plant is on what used to be rolling cotton fields but has since been able to employ over 4,000 people, and jobs continue to grow within the plant itself. With nearly 2.3 billion dollars invested, Hunstville, Alabama plant employees have had the great fortune to see the first vehicle, the Toyota Corolla Cross, come off the line as the very first finished product. Next in line was the celebration for the first finished Mazda CX-50, which marked the official return of Mazda production in America in over ten years since its departure from the Michigan plant.

The Mazda CX-50
The Mazda CX-50 is a revolutionary new vehicle for the Japanese Automaker and has built a beefier, stronger, and more versatile vehicle than what is currently found within the lineup. The CX-50 is Mazda’s strategy for reaching a wider local audience with a vehicle that can hold its own among the already established rugged class of crossover SUVs. The Cx-50 comes with standard all-wheel drive, additional body cladding, off-road driver modes, but still moves with the grace and ease that Mazda enthusiasts have come to expect. The CX-50 is coming quickly to widespread audiences just in time for an all-out adventurous summer of 2022.