Yamaha pulling out of California after nearly half a century: HQ headed to Georgia

After nearly 50 years in Orange County, Yamaha Motor Corp. USA is
packing up its headquarters — trading Cypress, California for Kennesaw,
Georgia in a sweeping corporate shift that will impact about 250
workers. 

The motorcycle and motorsports giant says the move is part of major
“structural reforms” meant to boost profits as costs climb — including
pressure from tariffs imposed during the administration of President
Donald Trump and shifting market conditions. 

The relocation won’t happen overnight. Yamaha plans to start the exit in
late 2026, with the transition stretching into 2028. 

Company spokesman Bob Starr said consolidating operations in Georgia
simply makes business sense. 

“In terms of efficiency, to have us all together in Georgia — all the
functions of the business — it makes a lot of sense,” Starr said. 

The departure marks another corporate blow for Cypress.

Back in 2019, Mitsubishi Motors North America ditched its longtime HQ in
the city after 31 years, moving roughly 200 jobs to Franklin, Tennessee
to cut costs. 

Yamaha’s Japan-based parent, Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd., says it will also
unload the company’s sprawling 25-acre Katella Avenue campus — a major
administrative hub handling finance and corporate operations tied to its
motorsports lineup, including ATVs, golf carts, motorcycles and boats.
The site doesn’t manufacture products. 

Commercial brokerage Avison Young has been tapped to market the massive
property, which spans nearly 279,000 square feet of office, industrial
and flex-warehouse space across an entire city block. 

According to the firm, the parcel could become one of the largest
industrial redevelopment opportunities currently available in Southern
California. 

Georgia isn’t new territory for Yamaha. The company already shifted its
marine division there in 1999 and moved its motorsports operations in
2019 — making the headquarters relocation the final piece of the puzzle. 

City officials in Cypress say they’re disappointed but thankful for the
company’s decades-long presence. 

“As one of the first companies to locate in the Cypress Business Park in
1980, Yamaha has been an important part of our business community for
more than 40 years,” said Alicia Velasco, the city’s planning and
community development director. “We thank Yamaha for its long-standing
partnership and look forward to working with its management to
transition the site to new ownership.” 

https://nypost.com/2026/03/09/us-news/yamaha-pulling-out-of-california-af
ter-half-a-century-hq-headed-to-georgia/