Mazda Toyota Manufacturing USA
A Mazda–Toyota joint-venture automobile manufacturing facility in Madison, Alabama.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
Mazda Toyota Manufacturing USA, commonly known as MTMUS, is an automobile manufacturing facility in Madison, Alabama, operated as a joint venture between Mazda Motor Corporation and Toyota Motor Corporation. The plant was created to expand vehicle production in the United States and to provide the two Japanese automakers with a shared manufacturing base in the American Southeast. The project was announced on January 10, 2018. Its original investment was announced at approximately US$1.6 billion, although the planned investment was subsequently increased to about US$2.3 billion. Construction began on November 16, 2018, at a large megasite in Limestone County certified by the Tennessee Valley Authority. The location is in the Huntsville-area industrial region and is close to Toyota Motor Manufacturing Alabama, Toyota’s separate engine plant. MTMUS also represented Mazda’s return to vehicle production in the United States after Mazda ended manufacturing at the Flat Rock Assembly Plant in Michigan in 2012. Rather than operating independent facilities, Mazda and Toyota structured the Alabama project as a shared plant with separate production lines and vehicle programs. The arrangement allowed the partners to share manufacturing infrastructure while retaining distinct product identities and production responsibilities. The facility was designed for an eventual workforce of approximately 4,000 employees and annual production capacity of up to 300,000 vehicles. Toyota began production at the plant on September 30, 2021, assembling the Toyota Corolla Cross compact crossover on the Apollo line. Mazda production followed on January 26, 2022, when the Mazda CX-50 entered production on the Discovery line. These two vehicles are the principal products identified with the plant. MTMUS is therefore best understood as a manufacturing operation and joint-venture enterprise rather than a consumer-facing vehicle marque. Its significance derives from the production role it plays for both parent companies: it supports Toyota’s North American crossover manufacturing footprint and restores Mazda-branded vehicle production in the United States. The facility’s operations also place it within the wider Alabama automotive manufacturing cluster, alongside Toyota’s nearby engine plant and other suppliers and vehicle manufacturers in the region.
History
Mazda Toyota Manufacturing USA emerged from a manufacturing partnership between Mazda and Toyota announced on January 10, 2018. The two automakers planned a shared vehicle plant in Alabama, using a joint-venture structure to establish additional North American production capacity. The original project investment was reported at approximately US$1.6 billion and was later increased to about US$2.3 billion. The selected site was a large megasite in Limestone County, in the Huntsville-area industrial region of northern Alabama. The site had been certified by the Tennessee Valley Authority and was positioned within an established automotive and industrial supply network. Construction began on November 16, 2018. The facility was planned to employ as many as 4,000 people when operating at full capacity and to produce up to 300,000 vehicles per year. The project had significance for both partners. Toyota sought additional U.S. capacity for crossover production, while Mazda used the facility to reestablish vehicle manufacturing in the United States after ending production at its Flat Rock Assembly Plant in Michigan in 2012. The shared plant model enabled the companies to use common manufacturing infrastructure while maintaining separate vehicle programs and production lines. Toyota production started on September 30, 2021, with the Corolla Cross compact crossover assembled on the Apollo line. Mazda followed on January 26, 2022, beginning production of the CX-50 on the Discovery line. These launches established the plant’s two principal manufacturing programs and made MTMUS an important production site for both companies’ North American operations. MTMUS operates within the broader Alabama automotive manufacturing sector. Its location is near Toyota Motor Manufacturing Alabama, an independently operated Toyota engine plant in Huntsville. Although the two facilities are geographically close, MTMUS is a separate joint-venture operation. The plant’s identity is primarily industrial and operational rather than consumer-facing: Mazda and Toyota vehicles carry their respective brands, while MTMUS provides the shared manufacturing platform.
- 2022
Mazda CX-50 production starts
[1]The Mazda CX-50 entered production on January 26 on the Discovery line.
- 2021
Toyota Corolla Cross production starts
[1]The Toyota Corolla Cross entered production on September 30 on the Apollo line.
- 2018
Mazda and Toyota announce the Alabama joint venture
[1]The partners announced the MTMUS project on January 10, initially describing an investment of approximately US$1.6 billion and planned capacity of up to 300,000 vehicles annually.
- 2018
Construction begins
[1]Construction began on November 16 at the Tennessee Valley Authority-certified Limestone County megasite.
- 2012
Mazda ends production at the Flat Rock Assembly Plant
[1]Mazda ended its operations at the Flat Rock Assembly Plant in Michigan. The later creation of MTMUS brought Mazda-branded vehicle production back to the United States.
Products and positioning
A high-volume, shared North American manufacturing facility that combines Mazda and Toyota production programs while supporting localized assembly of compact crossover vehicles.
Compact crossover SUV · 2021
Toyota Corolla Cross
The Toyota Corolla Cross is a compact crossover SUV assembled at MTMUS for Toyota’s North American market. Production began on September 30, 2021, on the facility’s Apollo line. It was the first vehicle to enter production at the Alabama plant and is one of the two core vehicle programs associated with MTMUS.
Compact crossover SUV · 2022
Mazda CX-50
The Mazda CX-50 is a Mazda compact crossover SUV produced at MTMUS on the Discovery line. Production began on January 26, 2022. Its assembly at the Alabama facility returned Mazda-branded vehicle production to the United States after the company’s previous U.S. assembly operations ended in 2012.
Brand decisions
2018
Establishment of the Mazda–Toyota manufacturing joint ventureM&ABackground
Mazda and Toyota sought additional U.S. production capacity and a way to share the cost and infrastructure of a new vehicle assembly facility.
Action taken
The companies announced MTMUS as a jointly operated Alabama manufacturing project, initially linked to an investment of approximately US$1.6 billion.
Aftermath
The project proceeded to construction, with the planned investment later increasing to approximately US$2.3 billion and the facility eventually producing vehicles for both companies.
Planned project investment. US$1.6 billion → US$2.3 billion (2018 project announcement and subsequent development)
Sources1 sources
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