‘Quick Question:’ Man Checks His 2022 Car's VIN. Why Does it Say 'Manufactured by Mazda Toyota Manufacturing’?

“Is brand loyalty just a marketing thing?”

Photo by: @alawapprovesautoloans

By: Stacy Fernandez

Jul 3, 2025 at 9:00pm ET

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A car salesman expressed surprise to see that his Toyota was actually manufactured by a completely different company.

Car salesperson @alawapprovesautoloans recently posted a TikTok pointing out that the manufacturing sticker on a 2022 Toyota Corolla Cross credits Mazda.

“Can someone explain to me why it says ‘manufactured by Mazda Toyota Manufacturing?'” he says. “I have no idea. Mazda and Toyota had a collaboration?”

The salesman's questions were more rhetorical. In the caption, he provides additional context about the collaboration that led to a Toyota with a made by Mazda badge.

“It’s honestly not some weird crossover conspiracy—it’s badge engineering and platform sharing, a classic move automakers use to save [research and development] and plant costs,” he writes.

His TikTok has more than 186,000 views and 2,000 comments as of this writing.

A Fruitful Partnership

Mazda and Toyota are popular Japan-based car companies. In 2018, the automakers announced they were partnering up on a manufacturing facility in the Southeast.

In 2021, Mazda Toyota Manufacturing (MTM) opened in Huntsville, Alabama.

MTM produces both the Toyota Corolla Cross and the Mazda CX-50, according to Toyota’s fact sheet about the facility. It is the only North American facility that produces the Corolla Cross.

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The plant can produce up to 300,000 vehicles a year, per Toyota, with an even split between the two brands.

As of 2023, Toyota says it had created nearly 4,000 jobs.

Why does the car say Mazda then?

Even though the vehicle is a Toyota through and through, since the facility it's made in is legally registered as “Mazda Toyota Manufacturing, U.S.A., Inc.,” that’s the name that shows up on the federal certification label.

Federal law requires that vehicles display the name of the legal manufacturer at the point of assembly. Because the Mazda Toyota Manufacturing plant in Alabama is a jointly owned entity with its own corporate identity, that’s what appears on the certification label, regardless of whether the vehicle is a Toyota or a Mazda.

This doesn’t mean the vehicle is a rebadged Mazda. The 2022 Toyota Corolla Cross, for instance, is built on Toyota’s TNGA-C platform and features a fully Toyota-designed and engineered approach. The label simply reflects the name of the shared factory, not the origin of the parts or brand DNA.

Working Together Again

This isn’t the first time automakers have shared production lines under a joint corporate name. Past collaborations, such as NUMMI—a partnership between Toyota and General Motors—and Subaru of Indiana Automotive, which has previously built Toyotas, have resulted in similarly surprising VIN labels. It’s one of those quirks of global auto manufacturing that’s rarely noticed until a TikTok makes it go viral.

Opening MTM wasn’t the last time Mazda and Toyota would team up, either.

Last May, Motor1 reported that Mazda, Subaru, and Toyota had announced they are working together to develop a new internal combustion engine.

The hope is that pooling resources will enable the companies to accelerate development and lower costs. Each will still have its own “signature engines” for its brand, rather than using one common engine.

“Specifically, Toyota is preparing new inline-fours, Mazda is pursuing rotary engines, and Subaru aims to improve the horizontally opposed boxer,” we reported. “The new powertrains will be compatible with several carbon-neutral fuels: liquid hydrogen, biofuel, and synthetic fuel.”

Automaker Partnerships

Many commenters pointed out that car companies frequently partner up.

“Can’t wait for this guy to hear about the Pontiac Vibe,” said one. The now-discontinued Pontiac Vibe was jointly developed by Toyota and GM.

“Wait until bro figures out Lexus and Toyota are the same thing,” another joked, referring to Toyota’s luxury brand.

Some people are divided about whether an American-made Mazda or Toyota would meet the same standards as those manufactured in Japan.

“The ‘Made in America’ is what you should be worried about. I only want a Toyota if it’s made in Japan,” a person said.

“The local talent makes the house. Ever go to a chain restaurant away from home and it’s just straight slop, while the one you usually go to is amazing? It’s the local talent. Japanese detail is unmatched, foreign branded and built local isn’t what I want,” a viewer shared.

Another disagreed, writing, “Toyota still holds the same quality standards in the U.S. It would make no sense for them to have better made in Japan cars when 70% of the U.S. cars are made in the U.S.”

The TikTok creator is a fan of the joint venture. In the caption, @alawapprovesautoloans writes, “It’s honestly not some weird crossover conspiracy—it’s badge engineering and platform sharing, a classic move automakers use to save R&D and plant costs.”

Still, he wonders if the Toyota Corolla Cross and Mazda CX-50 are essentially the same vehicle. Or, as he puts it, "twins just wearing different jackets."

“These cars share so much under the skin now, is brand loyalty just a marketing thing?” he adds in the caption.

Is This Toyota Really Part Mazda?

Despite what some online commenters suggest, the 2022 Toyota Corolla Cross is not a rebadged Mazda in disguise. While it’s true that both the Corolla Cross and Mazda CX-50 roll off the same production line in Alabama, the vehicles themselves are entirely separate in design, engineering, and component sourcing.

The Corolla Cross is built on Toyota’s TNGA-C platform, the same architecture used in models like the Toyota Corolla and Prius. It features Toyota-developed engines and transmissions, Toyota’s infotainment and safety systems, and is engineered solely by Toyota teams. Mazda had no input in its development. Likewise, the Mazda CX-50 is built on Mazda’s platform, uses Mazda’s engines, and features Mazda’s design and software stack.

The only shared element is the building itself, not the vehicles. The joint venture allows the brands to share physical infrastructure, but their vehicles remain distinct. Claims that one brand’s model is just a badge-swapped version of the other don't hold up to technical scrutiny.

Motor1 reached out to @alawapprovesautoloans for comment via TikTok direct message and comment. We’ll be sure to update this if he responds.

Additional reporting by Chad Swiatecki.