Report: Mazda to kill joint venture with Ford, will stop building models in U.S.

2011 Mazda6

According to Japan’s Nikkei financial daily, Mazda plans on killing its joint venture with Ford and will stop building models in the United States. Mazda nad Ford operated the AutoAlliance International plant in Michigan as a 50-50 partnership.

Sources inside the company say that Mazda plans on selling its stake to Ford as it tries to restructure its global production. Nikkei said that Mazdas sold in the U.S. will be shipped from Japan and Mexico starting around 2013.

In a response to the report, Mazda said that: “Mazda and Ford are jointly studying various possibilities for AAI, and we have nothing to announce at this time. “We do not comment on speculation.”

The plant in Flat Rock, Michigan builds the Mazda6 sedan and the Ford Mustang. It employs around 1,700 workers.

– By: Omar Rana

Source: Free press