Mazda Launched The Construction Of The Factory In New Mexico That Will Produce The Mazda2 And Mazda3

In order to maintain the growing demand in Central and South American markets, as well as reduce its dependence on Japan, the Mazda has formed a new joint venture, Sumitomo Corporation, will build a new plant in central Mexico.

Installation of the joint venture is called Mazda Motor Manufacturing de Mexico SA de CV (MMMdM) and is in the Mexican city of Salamanca, in the state of Guanajuato.

Wednesday the company held a special ceremony to mark the start of construction of the plant. Guest of honor at the event were Minister of Economy, Mexico, Bruno Ferrari.

"Since Mazda has established its sales network in Mexico six years ago, we witnessed a remarkable acceptance of the people of Mexico. Last year, Mazda has sold over 25,000 vehicles and captured more than three percent market share, "said the president of Mazda Yamanouchi.

"We are delighted to be building this new plant in Mexico with our partner Sumitomo Corporation. It will be vital to strengthen our expansion into Central and South America," he said.

The new facility will have two Mexican plants and motor vehicle assembly and enter service in March 2014 with an estimated annual production capacity of 140,000 units. The plant will produce the Mazda2 (Demio in Japan) and Mazda3 (Axela in Japan), the compact models.

 

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2012 Mazda3 with new SkyActiv engine gets 40 mpg, updated exterior

The 2012 Mazda3 has officially made its debut at the 2011 New York Auto Show, and it’s brought along the first production use of the long-awaited SkyActiv fuel-efficiency tweaks. That means the newest Mazda3 is good for a whopping 40 miles per gallon on the highway thanks to the addition of a new SkyActiv-G four-cylinder engine mated to either a new six-speed automatic or manual transmission. Previously, the Mazda3 has only been good for up to 33 mpg in its most efficient form, but the new drivetrain advancements will go a long way toward making the model more competitive against ever sharper metal from Ford, Chevrolet, Hyundai and Honda. Mazda says that the new 2.0-liter, direct-injection four-cylinder is good for 155 horsepower and 148 pound-feet of torque, which offers modest increases over the old, non-DI 2.0-liter mill. That old lump will still be around as standard equipment on the sedan, though don’t expect to see it on the Mazda3 hatch. Instead, the long-roof will still benefit from the larger 2.5-liter four-cylinder found in the last-gen vehicle. In addition to the newly-efficient drivetrain, the 2012 Mazda3 also wears a suitably updated exterior. Buyers can look forward to redesigned headlights and an adjusted front fascia with a slightly different grille that tones down the exuberance of the car’s trademark grin. Likewise, the rears of both the sedan and hatch have received a subtle warming-over. Follow the jump to hear it from Mazda’s own mouth.

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