Just by taking one look at the new Mazda lineup available in Reno, NV, it's easy to see that the automaker is making some great new additions. This of course calls for a little expansion to keep up with the growth. In order to do so, Mazda recently announced it would be putting $120 million towards opening a new engine plant in Mexico, an addition that will surely be helpful in satisfying supply demands.
Once the facility is added to the vehicle assembly plant that is currently underway in Salamanca, Mexico, Mazda confirmed the new plant will have the annual capacity of producing 230,000 engines. If construction goes as planned, vehicle production should be up and running at the beginning of next year.
So which models will be produced at the new Mexico plant? Mazda plans to manufacture both the Mazda2 and Mazda3 models that will be sent to markets in South and Central America as well as the United States. In addition, the engine plant will manufacture the SKYACTIV® TECHNOLOGY necessary for its popular line of fuel efficient engines.
The expansion into Mexico, is all a part of Mazda's goal to boost the number of locally produced parts that can be utilized for production. It will also help the automaker reduce its dependency of vehicle exports in Japan, as currently three-quarters of its vehicles are made there.
Looking ahead to the future, Mazda certainly has some exciting goals in place. It hopes to have 80 percent of its lineup available with SKYACTIV® TECHNOLOGY, which will help to increase global sales to 1.7 million units by March of 2016. So far it looks as though the automaker is well on its way to making this happen.
If you haven't had a chance to check out the new lineup, we encourage you to visit our Reno Mazda showroom anytime during our normal business hours. We'd be happy to answer any questions you may have about specs and features, and schedule a test drive with the vehicle that catches your eye!
