Toyota, Mazda announce tie-up over electric vehicles, US factory

Japanese auto giant Toyota and smaller rival Mazda said on Aug. 4 that they agreed a capital tie-up to focus on joint development of electric vehicles, while building a $1.6 billion factory in the United States which will create up to 4,000 jobs.

The move comes as the automotive industry is faced with a major shift towards greener transport and greater use of information technology.

“This is a partnership in which those who are passionate about cars will work together to make ever-better cars,” Toyota president Akio Toyoda said in a statement.  

Japanese carmakers are also facing uncertainty over U.S. President Donald Trump’s drive to support U.S. firms over foreign imports.

He has strongly criticized Toyota over its ongoing project to build a new factory in Mexico, threatening it with tariffs. Hiroshima-based Mazda has no plants in the U.S.

In 2015, Toyota and Mazda signed a memorandum of understanding to explore collaboration.

Toyota and Mazda said on Aug. 4 that they would combine forces on key next-generation technology.

The pair will invest $1.6 billion to build a factory in the U.S. to produce cross-over models and Toyota’s Corolla sedan starting from 2021.

The U.S. plant will have the capacity to produce approximately 300,000 vehicles a year and create up to 4,000 jobs.

As they enhance collaboration, Toyota will take a roughly five percent stake in Mazda, which in turn would invest in Toyota.

Toyota has sold more than 10 million hybrid gasoline-electric vehicles globally, including the Prius, since 1997.

But it is struggling to develop electric vehicles as several countries announce plans to clamp down on petrol and diesel cars.

France and Britain have both said they will end sales of petrol and diesel vehicles by 2040.

Also on Aug. 4, Toyota - which lost its crown as the world’s top-selling automaker in 2016 to German giant Volkswagen -said its latest quarterly net profit jumped 11 percent to $5.6 billion with vehicle sales up in Japan and the United States, while it also lifted its annual earnings forecast.