The company that famously declared it would be the last automaker in the world to field an EV-only fleet has just commissioned a lithium-ion battery plant in Japan.

Mazda Motor said on Monday that it will build a new module pack plant for automotive cylindrical lithium-ion battery cells in Iwakuni City in southwest Japan.

The new facility will be equipped to produce modules and packs for automotive cylindrical lithium-ion battery cells.

Mazda is building a new plant in Japan, where it will produce Panasonic batteries. Its first EV-dedicated platform is being developed in-house and will be ready by 2027. Mazda is also working on next-gen lithium-ion and solid-state battery technology Mazda might be doing just fine without a dedicated EV,