HUNTSVILLE, Ala – After years of construction Mazda Toyota Manufacturing has started production at its $2.3 billion dollar plant in Huntsville.

The plant is believed to be one of the largest economic developments in Alabama history. Production was originally scheduled to start in Spring 2021 but was pushed back because of the pandemic.

Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle said the plant will bring prosperity to the city, “This is a project that will provide jobs for the North Alabama community for generations to come, not just for this year or next year but for the next 50 years. This plant will be producing cars and producing an economy that makes North Alabama a success.”

The plant has the capacity to build 300,000 vehicles annually. These will be split evenly between the Toyota Corolla Cross SUV and a Mazda vehicle that has not been unveiled yet.

The Cross will be built on the plant’s Apollo line and the Mazda will be made on the Discovery line.

The company already hired 2,300 employees and are ready to bring on 1,700 more as the plant prepares for full capacity in 2022. Anyone interested in applying can do so at their website: mazdatoyota.com.