Alabama will be the site of a new $1.6 billion Toyota Motor Corp. and Mazda Motor Corp. auto plant, a victory for President Donald Trump who has prodded manufacturers to build new US factories and threatened tariffs on foreign production. It will employ up to 4,000 people and produce about 300,000 vehicles a year in Huntsville, Alabama, and is a boon for the state, where Toyota has a large engine plant and an existing network of automotive suppliers, Automotive News reported. The new plant -- in a state Trump won by 28 points in 2016 -- could be a political boost to the Republican president, who has urged automakers to build plants in the United States and add jobs. The announcement also comes at a time of declining US auto sales, so it could exacerbate overcapacity and add pressure to cut prices. US new vehicle sales fell 2% in 2017, after hitting an all-time record high in 2016, and are expected to fall further in 2018.
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