Mazda announced that it would construct its first plant in Mexico, which will be operational in the second half of 2013. The Mexican plant will be the fourth plant it operates outside of Japan. Manufacturing of finished vehicles will begin as soon as the construction of the new plant is completed. The project is designed for the production of compact vehicles, to be sold initially in the Mexican and South American markets, and then be introduced in the U.S. market. This news confirms previous editions reporting that Mazda planned to construct the new plant outside of Japan.