Mazda to Shift Some Output From Thailand to Japan, Nikkei Says

(Bloomberg) -- Mazda Motor Corp. is shifting some production of cars destined for the Australian market from Thailand to Japan, citing the adverse impact of a stronger Thai baht, according to the Nikkei newspaper.

Assembly of CX-3 sports utility vehicles will be moved to its Yamaguchi factory in southwest Japan this year, the report said, without citing anyone. Mazda has the capacity to make about 135,000 cars in Thailand annually.

The baht has climbed more than 8% against the dollar over the past year, hurting Thailand’s export-oriented economy. Thailand is on track for its slowest economic growth since 2014, facing headwinds including the U.S.-China trade dispute and political uncertainty.

To contact the reporter on this story: Pavel Alpeyev in Tokyo at palpeyev@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Shamim Adam at sadam2@bloomberg.net, Tom Redmond

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