Toyota, Mazda choose Alabama for $1.6B factory

The factory will be capable of producing 300,000 vehicles annually.

Toyota and Mazda have selected Huntsville, Alabama, as the location for their new joint-venture manufacturing facility.

The new plant will be designed to build 300,000 vehicles annually, with production split evenly between both brands. Mazda's line will produce a new crossover, while Toyota's will supplement Corolla assembly.

The location is said to be approximately 14 miles from Toyota's existing Alabama manufacturing facility, currently focused on building truck engines.

Alabama is said to be the fifth largest producer of cars and light trucks nationally, thanks to several foreign automakers and more than 150 associated suppliers. Many new production facilities have gravitated toward the South, where the United Auto Workers has encountered difficulty attempting to unionize the facilities.

The joint Toyota-Mazda plant will cost $1.6 billion to build, split between both companies, with production expected to begin in 2021.