Start of production at Mazda-Toyota plant in Alabama delayed by coronavirus

[Joaquin Ruhi]

April 13, 2020
Start of new Toyota-Mazda plant production delayed by COVID-19
OMARI GARDNER - Automotive News

The start of production at the joint-venture Toyota-Mazda assembly plant in Huntsville, Ala., will be delayed until later in 2021 because of setbacks related to the coronavirus pandemic.

"On April 9, we informed state and local government officials in Alabama, along with our key suppliers, how the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting our ability to maintain critical equipment delivery schedules, creating labor shortages and slowing construction," Toni Eberhart, a spokeswoman for Mazda Toyota Manufacturing, said in a statement emailed to Automotive News.

"As a result, we will delay the start of production of the Mazda Toyota Manufacturing plant to a time period later in 2021. We are eager to keep the project moving forward and appreciate the ongoing support of all key stakeholders."

The plant was to begin production of 150,000 units each of a Toyota and a Mazda crossover yet to be named, beginning in 2021. Eberhart declined to comment on when production would start.

But in a document obtained by Automotive News, Toyota said the "890B project" will be impacted by COVID-19, and the start of production will be delayed by a "minimum of 5.5 months."

Toyota and Mazda last year began construction on the $1.6 billion plant, which is expected to create 4,000 jobs.

The plant has experienced at least one delay this month related to the coronavirus. On April 4, construction activity was suspended in accordance with the governor's stay-at-home order, Mazda Toyota Manufacturing said in a statement. Any job that could not meet social distancing recommendations was temporarily suspended. Work resumed April 7 for areas in which Alabama Department of Public Health guidelines could be met.

As of April 10, Mazda Toyota Manufacturing said it confirmed two cases of COVID-19 at the site. Anyone who had direct contact with the affected individuals were to remain quarantined for 14 days.

https://www.autonews.com/manufactur...ovid-19?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

 

[Joaquin Ruhi]

Some commentary of the above:

- Although Toyota USA news releases have simply said that production at the new Alabama plant will start "in 2021", a July 2019 article on AL.com says that the production start date had already been pushed back from January to April 2021 due to the change in Toyota production plans from Corolla to "a new, yet-to-be announced SUV". Add at least another 5.5 months to that (if the document viewed by Automotive News is correct) and you're looking at a new start of production date no earlier than September/October 2021.

- The new Toyota crossover SUV believed to be built in Alabama is the Corolla Cross, which would probably slot between C-HR and RAV4/Harrier in size and mission. Whether Corolla Cross is a Toyota TNGA-C platform vehicle or something built on Mazda's FWD-centric Small Architecture (much like the North American Yaris is a Mazda2 offshoot) is an open question.

 

[spwolf]

i wonder what will be built there in the end. Mazda has CX-5 and CX-30 already, where would space be for another cuv similar size?

Toyota planned for it to be building new Corolla + new Mazda CUV, i would guess that means it is going to be TNGA factory? Although lines will be separate to start with, which means models will be quite differentiated.

 

[Levi]

What about the Yaris CUV? Where will this be produced? France? And will it be sold in NA?

 

[Will1991]

- The new Toyota crossover SUV believed to be built in Alabama is the Corolla Cross, which would probably slot between C-HR and RAV4/Harrier in size and mission. Whether Corolla Cross is a Toyota TNGA-C platform vehicle or something built on Mazda's FWD-centric Small Architecture (much like the North American Yaris is a Mazda2 offshoot) is an open question.

A non-Toyota Corolla branded car? I hope not...

 

[Sulu]

Could this rumoured Toyota Corolla Cross be the North American version of the Corolla TREK (a lifted Corolla Wagon similar in concept to the Volkswagen Golf Alltrack), which is available in Europe?

I see that the Corolla TREK is available with a hybrid powertrain. A Corolla Cross Hybrid would be nice.

 

[Joaquin Ruhi]

Could this rumoured Toyota Corolla Cross be the North American version of the Corolla TREK (a lifted Corolla Wagon similar in concept to the Volkswagen Golf Alltrack), which is available in Europe?

I see that the Corolla TREK is available with a hybrid powertrain. A Corolla Cross Hybrid would be nice.

I wish! I'd personally rather have a version of the Corolla wagon than yet another crossover. I've given up hope, though, especially since not only the Golf Alltrack but the Buick Regal TourX were marginal sellers in the U.S. that have been or will be discontinued soon.

Further, the TNGA-B Toyota crossover to be built in France will, most likely, wear the Yaris Cross badge.

 

[Sulu]

I wish! I'd personally rather have a version of the Corolla wagon than yet another crossover. I've given up hope, though, especially since not only the Golf Alltrack but the Buick Regal TourX were marginal sellers in the U.S. that have been or will be discontinued soon.

Further, the TNGA-B Toyota crossover to be built in France will, most likely, wear the Yaris Cross badge.

I would also like a wagon instead but if a slightly-lifted wagon, dressed up with black plastic cladding to look like a crossover is the closest we can get to a real wagon, I will take it.

And yes, the Golf Alltrack and the Buick Regal TourX were marginal sellers here in Canada also (I am not sure if the Buick was available here).

 

[spwolf]

Could this rumoured Toyota Corolla Cross be the North American version of the Corolla TREK (a lifted Corolla Wagon similar in concept to the Volkswagen Golf Alltrack), which is available in Europe?

I see that the Corolla TREK is available with a hybrid powertrain. A Corolla Cross Hybrid would be nice.

No.

Wagons never sold well in the US so you wont get it... I dont even know how well Trek sells in EU, didnt see it on road yet, but it came pretty late, just ahead of the covid-19

 

[Levi]

And Volvo still makes both new V60 and V90 Cross-Country.

 

[Carmaker1]

Although I didn't say it here, because the person who told me the information was @Gecko, 890B is the C-HR replacement known as Corolla Cross due in September 2021.

Want proof, here (I cropped/edited it to hide the source from Toyota corporate):