HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — The Mazda Toyota Manufacturing plant in Huntsville has turned out its one millionth vehicle, and the company marked the milestone on Wednesday, Oct. 28, by handing $120,000 in grants to local groups that helped it build a workforce.
The plant, a joint venture of Mazda Motor Corporation and Toyota Motor Corporation, builds two crossover models, Toyota’s Corolla Cross and Mazda’s CX-50, plus hybrid versions of each. The company celebrated the count with both models on hand and credited its roughly 4,500 workers for reaching it.
The grant money goes to organizations that worked with the plant on training and workforce development from its start-up years to now. The Alabama Automotive Manufacturers Association is among the recipients.
Erik Skaggs, senior vice president for the plant, called the milestone a reflection of the skill and teamwork of the people on the line and said the goal since groundbreaking has been to build a culture of collaboration along with the vehicles.
Chip Cherry, who leads the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber as its president and CEO, said the automaker has become a major part of the regional economy and praised its spending on local groups and job training as the mark of a good community partner.
The $2.3 billion facility has created more than 4,500 jobs, making it one of the largest single employers tied to the auto industry in north Alabama. Its output now covers the gas and hybrid Corolla Cross and the gas and hybrid CX-50, all assembled on the same Huntsville site.
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Filed under: Huntsville AL Business News
