AutoAlliance International (
AAI) is a
joint ventureA joint venture is an entity formed between two or more parties to undertake economic activity together. The parties agree to create a new entity by both contributing equity, and they then share in the revenues, expenses, and control of the enterprise...
automobile assembly firm co-owned by
Ford Motor CompanyThe Ford Motor Company is an American multinational corporation based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury brands, Ford also owns Volvo Cars of Sweden, and a small stake...
and
Mazda Motor Corporationis a Japanese automotive manufacturer based in Hiroshima, Japan.During 2007, Mazda produced almost 1.3 million vehicles for global sales...
. The main AAI plant is located at 1 International Drive in
Flat Rock, MichiganFlat Rock is a city in Wayne County of the U.S. state of Michigan. A very small portion of the city extends into Monroe County. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 8,488. Flat Rock is home to the AutoAlliance International manufacturing plant, co-owned by Ford Motor Company and Mazda...
. Its approximately and currently employs over 3,700 hourly and salaried workers.
The factory was opened by Ford Motor Company in 1972 as Michigan Casting Center (MCC), at the time one of the most technologically advanced casting facilities in the world.
AutoAlliance International (
AAI) is a
joint ventureA joint venture is an entity formed between two or more parties to undertake economic activity together. The parties agree to create a new entity by both contributing equity, and they then share in the revenues, expenses, and control of the enterprise...
automobile assembly firm co-owned by
Ford Motor CompanyThe Ford Motor Company is an American multinational corporation based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury brands, Ford also owns Volvo Cars of Sweden, and a small stake...
and
Mazda Motor Corporationis a Japanese automotive manufacturer based in Hiroshima, Japan.During 2007, Mazda produced almost 1.3 million vehicles for global sales...
. The main AAI plant is located at 1 International Drive in
Flat Rock, MichiganFlat Rock is a city in Wayne County of the U.S. state of Michigan. A very small portion of the city extends into Monroe County. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 8,488. Flat Rock is home to the AutoAlliance International manufacturing plant, co-owned by Ford Motor Company and Mazda...
. Its approximately and currently employs over 3,700 hourly and salaried workers.
The factory was opened by Ford Motor Company in 1972 as Michigan Casting Center (MCC), at the time one of the most technologically advanced casting facilities in the world. Despite the sizable capital investment, frequent labor relations problems and declining demand for the V8 engine blocks produced there led to the facility's closure in 1981, after less than a decade of operation.
Mazda Motor Corporationis a Japanese automotive manufacturer based in Hiroshima, Japan.During 2007, Mazda produced almost 1.3 million vehicles for global sales...
bought the closed plant in 1987, converted it to automobile assembly, and reopened it as Mazda Motor Manufacturing USA for production of the restyled Mazda 626 midsize sedan and Mazda MX-6 and Ford Probe coupes.
Ford repurchased a 50% share in the plant on April 15, 1992, and plant officially became a joint-venture and was renamed AutoAlliance International on July 1, 1992 as Ford took over operational management. The plant began production of all models of the
Mazda 626The Mazda 626 is an automobile that was produced by Mazda for the export market. It was based on the Japan-market Mazda Capella. The 626 replaced the 616/618 and RX-2 in 1979 and was sold through 2002, when the new Mazda6 took over as Mazda's large family car...
sold in America starting in 1993. The
Ford ContourThe Ford Contour and its rebadged variant, the Mercury Mystique were compact 4-door sedans marketed from model years 1995-2000 by Ford Motor Company in North America...
-derived
Mercury CougarThe Mercury Cougar is an automobile sold under the Mercury brand of the Ford Motor Company's Lincoln-Mercury Division. The name was first used in 1967 and was carried by a diverse series of cars over the next three decades. As is common with Mercury vehicles, the Cougar shared basic platforms with...
was produced at the plant from 1999 to 2002. Production of North American Mazda 6 models began in the 2002 model year, along with the current version of the
Ford MustangThe Ford Mustang is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company. It was initially based on the second generation North American Ford Falcon, a compact car. Production began in Dearborn, Michigan on March 9, 1964 and the car was introduced to the public on April 17, 1964 at the New York...
in 2005.
The factory is
unionizedA trade union is an organization of workers who have banded together to achieve common goals in key areas, such as working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labor contracts with employers...
with the
United Auto WorkersThe International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, better known as the United Auto Workers , is a labor union which represents workers in the United States and Puerto Rico...
.
Products
- 1988–1997 Mazda MX-6
The Mazda MX-6 was a front-wheel drive sporty coupé produced by Mazda between 1987 and 1997. It was called the Mazda Capella in Japan until 2002 before being renamed Mazda Atenza/Mazda6....
- 1989–1997 Ford Probe
The Ford Probe was a coupe produced by Ford, introduced in 1989 to replace the Ford EXP as the company's sport compact car. The Probe was fully based on the Mazda G-platform using unique sheetmetal and interior. The instrument cluster and pop-up headlight mechanisms are borrowed from the FC RX-7...
- 1990–2002 Mazda 626
The Mazda 626 is an automobile that was produced by Mazda for the export market. It was based on the Japan-market Mazda Capella. The 626 replaced the 616/618 and RX-2 in 1979 and was sold through 2002, when the new Mazda6 took over as Mazda's large family car...
- 1999–2002 Mercury Cougar
The Mercury Cougar is an automobile sold under the Mercury brand of the Ford Motor Company's Lincoln-Mercury Division. The name was first used in 1967 and was carried by a diverse series of cars over the next three decades. As is common with Mercury vehicles, the Cougar shared basic platforms with...
- 2003–present Mazda 6
- 2005–present Ford Mustang
The Ford Mustang is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company. It was initially based on the second generation North American Ford Falcon, a compact car. Production began in Dearborn, Michigan on March 9, 1964 and the car was introduced to the public on April 17, 1964 at the New York...
See also
- Mazda G platform
The Mazda G platform is an automobile platform for midsize cars. It has been used by a number of vehicles from Mazda and Ford Motor Company in Japan and abroad. Ford has adopted the GG version of this platform as its global CD3 platform....
- Most vehicles assembled at AutoAlliance have used Mazda's G platform
- Ford CD3 platform
The Ford CD3 platform is a Ford global midsize car automobile platform. It was designed by Mazda in association with Ford and debuted with the Mazda 6 sedan in early 2003. Mazda refers to the CD3 platform as GG/GY. The platform is designed for either front or all-wheel drive...
- Ford uses the Mazda G-platform as their "CD3"
External links