There have been rumors about this happening for some time. And now, it's been confirmed that Mazda will end production at the joint Ford venture Flat Rock, Michigan plant. This comes after a statement from Mazda CFO Kiyoshi Ozaki claiming that Mazda was considering various options for the plant, which has been losing money. The Flat Rock plant has been building both the Mazda6 and the Ford Mustang for the past several years.

However, the Mazda6's U.S. sales have slid lately and the Japanese automaker is now looking to build it solely at their Yamaguchi prefecture plant in Japan. This doesn't mean the Flat Rock plant will close altogether, considering it already builds the hot-selling Mustang. In all likelihood, the current Mazda6 will continue production there through its current generation. Considering Ford also recently sold off its majority stake in Mazda, it makes sense for the latter to begin exploring alternative production options.