HIROSHIMA, Japan—Mazda Motor Corporation announced today that it held a ceremony to celebrate the start of production of the all-new Mazda CX-3 at Auto Alliance (Thailand) Co., Ltd. (AAT), the company's production facility in Thailand. Approximately 300 people attended the ceremony, including Mazda's Managing Executive Officers Kiyotaka Shobuda and Kazuhisa Fujikawa as well as executives and employees of AAT.

Production of the all-new Mazda CX-3 began at the Hiroshima Plant in Japan in December last year. AAT is the second production location and the first overseas facility to start producing the model.

All-new Mazda CX-3

"AAT is an extremely important hub that consolidates our system for supplying the CX-3 promptly and consistently to the growing compact SUV market," commented Kiyotaka Shobuda. "By providing customer with Thai-produced vehicles that are as high-quality as those we make in Japan, we will work towards further raising our brand image."

The all-new CX-3 is the fifth model in Mazda's line-up of new-generation vehicles featuring the full range of SKYACTIV TECHNOLOGY and KODO-Soul of Motion design. As a new kind of compact crossover SUV, it offers all the essentials people look for in a car; a quality, stylish design; packaging developed for ease-of-use; and responsive driving performance. Mazda launched the CX-3 in Japan in February this year as a new core model and has since begun sales in other key markets, including North America, Europe and Australia.

Mazda will continue its efforts to enrich people's lives through a variety of touch points, including the production of high-quality cars, and become a brand with which customers feel a strong emotional connection.