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Toyota, Mazda in tie-up over electric vehicles, US factory

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Tokyo: Japanese auto giant Toyota and smaller rival Mazda said on Friday they agreed a capital tie-up to focus on joint development of electric vehicles, while building a $1.6 billion factory in the United States which will create up to 4,000 jobs.


The move comes as the automotive industry is faced with a major shift towards greener transport and greater use of information technology. “This is a partnership in which those who are passionate about cars will work together to make ever-better cars,” Toyota President Akio Toyoda said in a statement.


Japanese carmakers are also facing uncertainty over US President Donald Trump’s drive to support US firms over foreign imports. He has strongly criticised Toyota over its ongoing project to build a new factory in Mexico, threatening it with tariffs. Hiroshima-based Mazda has no plants in the US.


In 2015, Toyota and Mazda signed a memorandum of understanding to explore collaboration. Toyota and Mazda said on Friday that they would combine forces on key next-generation technology. The pair will invest $1.6 billion to build a factory in the US to produce cross-over models and Toyota’s Corolla sedan starting from 2021.


The US plant will have the capacity to produce approximately 300,000 vehicles a year and create up to 4,000 jobs. As they enhance collaboration, Toyota will take a roughly five per cent stake in Mazda, which in turn would invest in Toyota.


Toyota has sold more than 10 million hybrid gasoline-electric vehicles globally, including the Prius, since 1997. But it is struggling to develop electric vehicles as several countries announce plans to clamp down on petrol and diesel cars. Also on Friday, Toyota said its latest quarterly net profit jumped 11 per cent to $5.6 billion with vehicle sales up in Japan and the United States, while it also lifted its annual earnings forecast.— AFP


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