Mazda Motor Corporation said it had completed an assembly plant exclusive to Mazda within the grounds of a plant owned by Inokom Corporation in Kulim, in the Malaysian state of Kedah. Production of the CX-5 SUV for Malaysia and Thailand started at the facility on Friday (16 May).
Mazda began local assembly of the 3 on a contract basis with Inokom in January 2011.
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Since March 2013, the CX-5 has been produced at a Mazda-exclusive body shop constructed as one of the measures to reinforce the local production framework. This body shop, and the vehicle assembly facility which began operating today, are the result of an approximately MYR100m (JPY3bn) investment by Mazda Malaysia, a company that oversees the production and sales of Mazda vehicles in Malaysia.
Total annual production capacity of both facilities is approximately 20,000 units, and production of the new 3 for Malaysia is scheduled to begin in 2014.
The Mazda-exclusive body shop and vehicle assembly facility give the automaker more flexibility with the production plan and allows the company to implement enhanced quality control measures.
Mazda’s executive officer and general manager of the Hiroshima plant, Masatoshi Maruyama said: “Mazda regards Malaysia as a key production base in the ASEAN region and we are very pleased to further strengthen our local production framework here with the completion of this Mazda-exclusive vehicle assembly facility.”
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