Mazda/Ford invest additional US$27 mn in AAT

 

 

According to the statemented dated April 25, the new investment will include facility upgrades such as additional robotic equipment and tooling to help increase line speed and output. ATT produces the all-new Mazda BT-50 and all-new Ford Ranger pickup trucks for the Thai domestic market and export markets around the world. 

The new capacity, to come into effect starting next month, will boost annual capacity of AAT's pickup truck line to 140,000 units (195,000 units when including CKD), bringing overall capacity of AAT to 240,000 units (295,000 units when including CKD) per year, including the passenger car line.

The latest investment increases Mazda and Ford’s total joint investment in the AAT facility to nearly US$2 billion since operations began in 1995. In 2010, the two companies jointly-invested US$350 million (THB10.8 billion) in support of facility upgrades and supplier tooling to enable production of the all-new Ford Ranger and all-new Mazda BT-50trucks.

“This additional AAT investment is part of the strategic business partnership between Ford and Mazda,” said Yuji Nakamine, Senior Managing Executive Director of Mazda Motor Corporation. “Additionally, it allows us to continue to meet exceptionally strong demand for our all-new BT-50.”

 

“This new investment reinforces Ford Motor Company's long-term commitment to Thailand as a global production and export hub, and will allow us to meet the extraordinary demand for the all-new Ford Ranger,” said Peter Fleet, president, Ford ASEAN.

 

In addition to the Mazda BT-50 and Ford Ranger pickups, AAT produces the Ford Everest SUV, and passenger vehicles such as Ford Fiesta, Mazda2 (known in Japan as Demio) and Mazda3 (known in Japan as Axela) for sale in Thailand and for export to ASEAN and other markets.