Toyota And Mazda Announce Long-term Partnership

By Author: Raymond Hillberg
Total Articles: 8
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It’s getting increasingly common for major automakers that we’d normally think of as fierce rivals to team-up and work together on projects. Sometimes it’s just for an individual model, platform or engine project, but more and more long-term arrangements are now becoming commonplace. One of the latest, and possibly most exciting, is the recently announced tie-up between the Japanese giants Mazda and Toyota. The ultimate goal is quite simply to produce better cars in the future, but arrangements of this type also represent an opportunity to share resources for increased efficiency and profitability.

While partnerships like this often come about with two companies finding common ground on a specific vehicle and going on from there, this agreement between Mazda and Toyota is more about an ongoing working relationship for the future. The two companies are now setting-up a joint committee to look at where their particular strengths lie, to determine which company does what going forward. The committee will look at a wide range of areas for collaboration, including environmental and advanced safety technologies.

Mazda’s ...
... President and CEO Masamichi Kogai said of the partnership, “Toyota is a company that has shown steadfast resolve in acting responsibly on global environmental issues and the future of manufacturing as a whole. I also have tremendous respect for Toyota’s dedication in its pursuit of ever-better cars through ongoing innovation. Furthermore, Mazda identifies with the way Toyota cherishes its roots and all of the communities it is involved in. It is no wonder they are held in great esteem in return. I hope that by working together to make cars better, we can raise the value of cars in the eyes of consumers while also enhancing the manufacturing capabilities of our home, Hiroshima, and all the communities we are involved in as well.”

There have been collaborations between the two Japanese manufacturers already, which have included Mazda licensing Toyota’s hybrid technology and Mazda producing compact cars for Toyota at its plant in Mexico.

It’s certainly an exciting time for Mazda in particular at the moment, with its current lineup now truly benefiting from the introduction of the company’s SKYACTIV Technologies and KODO—Soul of Motion design philosophy.

It’s likely that alternative fuel technologies will play a key role in future collaborative efforts between the two manufacturers, especially as both appear to share a common philosophy. That philosophy is one that doesn’t appear to accept that purely electric vehicles are the way forward. While Mazda has never gone down the route of offering an EV in its lineup, Toyota has recently dropped its only EV to concentrate on hybrids and the hydrogen fuel cell Mirai.

Akio Toyoda, who is the President of Toyota, enthusiastically commented, “I am delighted that our two companies can share the same vision and work together to make cars better. I can think of nothing more wonderful than showing the world, together, that the next 100 years of cars will be just as fun as the first.”

Until a few years ago, auto companies used to get bought-out by bigger rivals to be swallowed-up and added to the larger brand’s portfolio. Although some of these deals have stood the test of time, many have proved to be problematic at best and downright disastrous at worst. When Ford for example, decided to sell-off its interests in companies like Aston Martin, Volvo and Land Rover, it has gone on to prove a great move for all concerned.

Collaborations and partnerships appear to be a much better way to go than buy-outs and takeovers, and this one between Mazda and Toyota sounds like it could be one of the most exciting yet.

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