Mazda announced that it will move part of the production of the CX-3 model to the plant in Salamanca, Guanajuato. This crossover, which had been imported from Japan since its introduction to the Mexican market, will now be assembled at the Mexican plant and also at another in Southeast Asia.
Miguel Barbeyto, president of Mazda in Mexico, confirmed the move on his Twitter account. “As part of Mazda’s expansion plans, our Salamanca plant will produce this SUV. I am proud that the Mexican workforce is a point of reference and Mazda continues to bet on Mexico, one of the most important regions for this company,” he wrote. the manager.
Mazda’s decision is part of a global company strategy to become more efficient through more flexible production lines that are capable of assembling various models with different engines. One of the plants being converted to this new production scheme is Hofu in southwestern Japan, one of three that produces the CX-3.
Last year, the H2 production line at the Hofu plant – where the CX-5 and Mazda6 models were produced at the time – was remodeled with the aim that vehicles with different platforms could be assembled on the same line in the future. (large or small), engines (internal combustion or electric) and their layout (longitudinal or transverse). “This optimized system will allow Mazda to more easily adjust its production to new models or changes in demand,” the company said in a statement.
After completing the remodeling of the H2 line, it is now the turn of the H1, where the CX-3 was manufactured, whose production will be relocated to two other complexes located in specific markets or regions in which the marketing of this model will continue, according to explained sources familiar with the subject.
The Mazda CX-3 is a subcompact crossover that is based on the Mazda2, but offers a higher seating position. The current generation was presented in 2016 and received an update in 2018. Although the marketing of the model was discontinued in the United States and Europe in 2021, the model will continue to be marketed in the Mexican market, where it still represents around 10% of total sales. of the brand, according to data from Inegi.
What models are manufactured at the Mazda plant in Salamanca?
The seven-year joint production agreement between Mazda and Toyota ended in 2020, leaving available capacity at the Guanajuato complex. At the end of 2019, the production of the Mazda3 sedan and the Mazda2 in hatchback and sedan bodies was joined by the CX-30 SUV , which replaced the CX-3 in the US market. Now, part of the units of this latest model that were made in Hofu will also be assigned to the Mexican plant. The other part will be sent to a resort in Thailand.
The company did not specify the investment amounts or the number of new jobs that will be generated from the movement.
