Toyota, Mazda’s U.S. joint venture to hire 1,700 more employees

Toyota Motor Corp. and Mazda Motor Corp.’s joint venture factory in Alabama plans to hire 1,700 additional employees as it ramps up production, the companies said on Thursday.

Mazda Toyota Manufacturing, which has started making the 2022 Toyota Corolla Cross, expects to have 4,000 workers in total by next year, when production of the yet-to-be-announced Mazda vehicle will also begin.

The JV expects to produce 150,000 future Mazda and 150,000 Toyota crossovers annually.

Last year, Toyota and Mazda increased their investment in the JV by $830 million to $2.3 billion.