New Toyota-Mazda plant will bring 4,000 jobs to Alabama

MONTGOMERY, Alabama - Japanese automakers Toyota and Mazda on Wednesday announced plans to build a mammoth $1.6 billion joint-venture plant in Alabama that will eventually employ about 4,000 people.

Several states had competed for the coveted project, which will be able to turn out 300,000 vehicles per year and produce the Toyota Corolla compact car for North America and a new small SUV from Mazda. Alabama Governor Kay Ivey and company executives held a joint news conference to announce that the facility is coming to the Huntsville area not far from the Tennessee line.

Production is expected to begin by 2021.