HIROSHIMA, Japan—Mazda Motor Corporation’s Hofu plant in Yamaguchi Prefecture has reached a cumulative production volume of eight million units. This milestone was achieved in the 25 years and nine months since vehicle production commenced in September 1982. The cumulative volume rose from seven to eight million units in just 23 months, making it the fastest million units ever produced at the plant. This excellent result was due to high production volumes of the Mazda Axela (known as the Mazda3 overseas), which has seen annual growth every year since its launch in 2003, and the All-new Mazda Atenza (All-new Mazda6), which commenced production in August 2007.

At a ceremony held today at the Hofu Plant No.2 to celebrate the achievement, Masafumi Nakano, executive officer and Hofu plant general manager, said, “I would like to thank not just the employees, but also all of our loyal customers, business partners, and everyone in the local community who supports us. We would not have been able to achieve eight million units of production without you. The Hofu plants have always delivered high quality vehicles featuring the latest technology to our customers around the world. Going forward, we must further evolve our high-quality craftsmanship and, as a world-class vehicle assembly facility, continue to deliver products which delight our customers. Achieving eight million units of cumulative production is one more step on the road to even greater things. With everyone working together, we will strive to attain the next targets of nine million and then ten million vehicles.”

The Mazda Hofu plant has complexes based in two manufacturing districts. Auto parts production in the Nakanoseki district began in 1981 and the current Hofu Plant No.1 (H1), located in the Nishinoura district, was constructed in 1982. Mazda Capella (Mazda 626) production started in September 1982 at the H1 plant. It is one of Mazda’s major passenger vehicle production facilities, together with Mazda’s Ujina plant, which is located near the company’s headquarters in Hiroshima. In 1992, the Hofu Plant No.2 (H2) was built in the Nishinoura district with a “people-friendly plant” concept and production of the Eunos 500 (Xedos 6) began in February 1992.

The Hofu plant has been operating at full capacity since the first generation Mazda Atenza rolled off the line in May 2002. In 2007, work to expand production capacity was carried out at the H2 plant. Currently, the total combined production capacity of the H1 and H2 plants is approximately 481,000 units per year. H1 produces the Axela and H2 produces both Atenza and Axela. The production volume in fiscal year 2007 reached 511,916 units, breaking a three-year-old record and surpassing the half million unit mark for the first time ever. Over 27 million transmissions have been produced in the Nakanoseki district since the Hofu plant was inaugurated in 1981.