Mazda Begins CX-3 Production at Hofu Plant
December 15 2016 - 11:19PM
JCN Newswire (English)
Mazda Motor Corporation announced today that the company began
production of the Mazda CX-3 subcompact crossover SUV yesterday at
Hofu Plant No.1 in Yamaguchi, Japan. The move strengthens the
automaker's supply system for SUV vehicles, demand for which
continues to grow globally.
http://www.acnnewswire.com/topimg/Low_MazdaCX31216.jpg
A Mazda CX-3 comes off the line at Hofu Plant No.1
Hofu Plant becomes the third production facility to manufacture the
CX-3, following Ujina Plant No.1 (in Hiroshima), where production
began in December 2014, and AutoAlliance (Thailand) Co., Ltd.,
where production began in October last year.
Domestic production of the CX-3 has until now been confined to
Ujina Plant No.1, which also produces the Mazda CX-5 and Mazda
CX-9. Moving a portion of CX-3 production to Hofu enhances the
company's ability to supply these models and respond quickly and
flexibly to growing demand for SUVs globally. Bringing CX-3
production online at Hofu went smoothly thanks to Mazda's Bundled
Product Planning*1 and Common Architecture Concept(2) key
components of the company's Monotsukuri Innovation initiatives in
product planning and production.
Mazda is aiming to create a flexible production system capable of
producing up to 50 percent crossover vehicles as the company works
to meet its global sales goal of 1.65 million units, as laid out in
its Structural Reform Stage 2 medium-term business plan (covering
the period from fiscal year ending (FYE) March 2017 through FYE
March 2019).
"We're aiming for a production system that gives us more
flexibility in terms of plants and models, so we can get our cars
to customers around the world as quickly as possible," said
Masatoshi Maruyama, Managing Executive Officer in charge of global
production. "Achieving this will help create a stronger foundation
for our business."
Mazda will continue its efforts to enrich people's lives through a
variety of touchpoints, including high-quality vehicle production,
and become a brand with which customers feel a strong emotional
connection.
(1) A planning method that looks at trends five to ten years ahead,
identifies what products and technologies will be needed, and
creates a comprehensive plan for all products to be sold during the
period. Bundled Product Planning identifies what elements can be
common to all vehicles and what elements need to be unique to each
carline. The aim is to maximize the individual appeal of each model
at the same time as creating common vehicle structures and
manufacturing processes that enable the efficient manufacture of
various future products.
(2) Under the Common Architecture concept, the core characteristics
of each component are common across all car lines regardless of
segment or engine displacement. Parts for different models differ
in size, but share the same design characteristics, making it
possible to develop and produce a variety of products using the
same processes.
About Mazda
Mazda Motor Corporation (TSE:7261) started manufacturing tools in
1929 and soon branched out into production of trucks for commercial
use. In the early 1960s, Mazda launched its first passenger car
models and began developing rotary engines. Still headquartered in
Hiroshima in western Japan, Mazda today ranks as one of Japan's
leading automakers, and exports cars to the United States and
Europe for over 30 years. For more information, please visit
www.mazda.com
Source: Mazda
Contact:
Corporate Communications Division
Mazda Motor Corporation, Japan
+81-3-3508-5056 [Tokyo]
+81-82-282-5253 [Hiroshima]
mailto: media@mazda.co.jp
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