Toyota will source a new Mazda2-based subcompact from Mazda's new assembly plant in Salamanca, Mexico, reports Automotive News. The car will feature Mazda's fuel-efficient Skyactiv engine but Toyota-designed sheet metal on the outside, said Keishi Egawa, CEO of Mazda's operations in Mexico and director of its plant there. The plant will allocate about 50,000 vehicles for Toyota from its full annual capacity of 230,000 units. Output for Toyota is expected to begin after 1 April 2015 but before 31 March 2016. A Toyota spokesperson confirmed that Toyota's spinoff of the Mazda2 will have a Mazda engine assembled on-site. He declined to elaborate whether other Skyactiv technologies such as chassis components would also be used in the Toyota version.
Significance: The Salamanca plant, Mazda's only North American production site, was officially inaugurated just last month. The plant is expected to be a key element in Mazda's strategy to migrate its entire line-up to the lightweight Skyactiv architecture, which aims to boost fuel economy while maintaining responsive driving dynamics. While production of the Mazda3 sedan and hatchback at the plant began in January, the next-generation Mazda2 is expected to enter production as early as the second half of this year. With the vehicle-assembly facilities in operation, the engine-machining factory is due to start operations in October. While the Japan-market Mazda2 already offers a 1.3-litre Skyactiv engine, the current US version has still to get Skyactiv treatment. The next generation is expected to receive the whole set of Skyactiv technologies, including the new engine, transmission, and chassis. Mazda currently uses only the 2.0L Skyactiv gasoline engine in the Mazda3s assembled in Mexico, while the 2.5L Mazda3s are manufactured in Japan. Using Mazda's Skyactiv engine may help Toyota enhance the appeal of its subcompact line-up in North America as it looks to replace the lacklustre Yaris. From Mazda's perspective, it means maximising economies of scale at the Salamanca site.
