Mazda Motor Corporation’s Hofu Plant in Yamaguchi prefecture has reached a cumulative production volume of nine million units. This milestone was achieved in the 28 years and two months since vehicle production commenced in September 1982. The cumulative volume rose from eight to nine million units in just 29 months due to high volumes of the Mazda Axela (known as the Mazda3 overseas), which commenced production in November 2008.
At a commemoration ceremony held today at the Hofu Plant No.1, Nariaki Uchida, Mazda executive officer and the Hofu Plant’s general manager, said, “I would like to thank all our valued customers, business partners and everyone in the Hofu community. Without your support, we would not be here today celebrating nine million units of production. Advancing from eight to nine million units has been particularly challenging due to the harsh external business environment, but thanks to all our employees and business affiliates working together under Monotsukuri Innovation, the Hofu Plant continues to be a success. Going forward, we will accelerate the momentum we have built up as we strive for the next target of ten million vehicles.”
The Hofu Plant is one of Mazda’s major passenger vehicle production facilities in Japan, together with the Ujina Plant located near the company’s headquarters in Hiroshima. The total production capacity of Hofu Plant No.1 (H1) and Hofu Plant No.2 (H2) is approximately 481,000 units per year. H1 produces the Mazda Axela and H2 produces both the Axela and Mazda Atenza (known as the Mazda6 overseas). Production in the first nine months of 2010 has been steady, reaching approximately 330,000 units, a 30 percent increase compared to the same period last year.
