Toyota, Mazda narrows choice to North Carolina and Alabama

Alabama and North Carolina are the final states in the running to win a prized Toyota Motor Corp. and Mazda Motor Corp. joint car factory worth $1.6 billion, according to people familiar with the negotiations.

The automakers have been narrowing the list for weeks, knocking out almost a dozen other contenders that until recently included Tennessee, Texas and South Carolina, the people said. Mazda and Toyota plan to announce their final choice by early next year, Akira Marumoto, Mazda’s executive vice president, told reporters in Tokyo earlier this month.

Scott Vazin, a Toyota spokesman, and Jeremy Barnes, who represents Mazda, both declined to comment.

Toyota shares fell 0.7 percent to 7,085 yen as of 9:46 a.m. in Tokyo, while Mazda dropped 0.7 percent to 1,541 yen. The Topix index declined 0.4 percent.

Read more: http://www.gadsdentimes.com/news/20171114/toyota-mazda-narrows-choice-to-north-carolina-and-alabama

Cross-posted in the Alabama Group.