Mexican made Mazda to be sold as Toyota in North America

It was announced today that Mazda will produce a Toyota-branded vehicle (yes, Toyota) for sale mainly in North America, and it will be based on the Mazda2. Production is slated to begin during the summer of 2015, and production numbers are supposed to be 50,000 units per year. And yes, these cars will be sold through Toyota dealerships. The vehicle will be built at Mazda's Mexican manufacturing facility, currently under construction in Salamanco, located in the state of Guanajuato.

This facility will also make the Mazda2 and Mazda3 with the capability of churning out 140,000 vehicles per year. This will undoubtedly help the Japanese company with manufacturing costs, since it's currently building its cars in Japan. And we all know how pricey that has become due to the strong yen.

We think the Mazda2 is a great little chassis—fun and flingable. Toyota dealers are everywhere, so the car should be readily accessible. This might be a win-win situation. I can't wait to see what it's going to look like.