Mazda Motor plans to appoint its current vice president Akira Marumoto, who oversees operations in the Americas, as its global president and chief executive officer in June – replacing Masamichi Kogai.
Kogai has come to the end of what has become the customary five year tenure for a Mazda CEO but will remain at the automaker as chairman.
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The appointment, to take place formally at the annual shareholders meeting on 26 June, is seen as strengthening the company's focus on North America.
Mazda is currently building a US$1.6bn vehicle production plant in Huntsville, Alabama, in partnership with Toyota. The factory is scheduled to be completed in 2020 with a capacity of 300,000 vehicles per year.
Mazda is expected to make crossover vehicles at the plant while Toyota said it would assemble the Corolla sedan.
Mazda has enjoyed a period of uninterrupted global growth in recent years, with sales reaching 1.6m vehicles in 2017. Around 30% were sold in the US.
As part of their deepening partnership, the two companies are working together in the development of electric vehicles and are combining resources to reduce the cost of developing other advanced technologies.
Toyota has also taken a 5% stake in its junior smaller partner.
