Last Thursday, Honda Automobile Company Ltd. based in Thailand announced that its Avutthawa manufacturing facility already has rolled out its one-millionth produced car. The first "made-in Thailand" vehicle carrying the Honda badge was produced in 1984 and due to its state-of-the art method of designing cars, Honda Automobile (Thailand) Company Ltd. is now the second largest producer and exporter of passenger vehicles in the country.
Kenji Otaka, president of Honda Automobile (Thailand) Company Ltd., said, "This accomplishment of 'one million' total cumulative production in Thailand is not only a testimony of consumers' trust in the Honda brand but also a strong vote of confidence in our people, technology, and design innovations."
Since 1984, Honda has committed its Thailand base with huge investments to meet the practical vehicle needs of the country. With these efforts, Thailand produced vehicles reflect Honda DNA as the automaker transferred their technology and skills over to the Asia-Oceania region.
Last July 2007, Honda Motor Co. invested $205 million for the extension of the facility in Ayutthaya province which will double its production from 120,000 units to 240,000 units in 2008, when the project is completed. Honda's new site will be one of the world's cleanest auto manufacturing facilities in the world since the plant will be producing clean technologies.
"Through our pioneering research, next-generation technologies, and innovative designs, we are constantly raising the standards for quality manufacturing and enhancing customer satisfaction. Word-of-mouth endorsements by people who have personally experienced driving a Honda vehicle are valuable testimonials about Honda's durability, safety, reliability, quality and environment-friendly attributes," said Otaka.
14 countries are being supplied by Honda vehicles and auto parts built in Thailand for CKD (completely knocked down or the components and parts needed to complete a car like the ) and 30 countries are provided for CBU (completely built up or exported whole vehicles).
The fresh 2008 Honda Accord is the one-millionth unit Honda vehicle produced in Thailand. The bigger, sportier and roomier 2008 model debuted last November and is also Thailand's first locally produced that is gasohol E20-friendly.
About Honda's manufacturing facility in Thailand
Honda's manufacturing facility in Thailand is the sixth largest in the world, after Japan, USA, China, Canada and the United Kingdom. It employs around 3,700 people at the Thailand plant.
The manufacturing site is located at Rojana Industrial Estate, Ayutthaya Province, on a site that covers almost 680,000 square meters.
Models manufactured at the plant include the Honda Jazz, City, Civic, CR-V and the all-new Accord.
Honda will accelerate its regional R&D functions (planning, concept building, styling, research, development, and testing) as well as technology transfer to the Asia/Oceania region by transferring its R&D role to Thailand in order to meet the growing demand for Honda products
At present, Thailand belongs to the world's top ten producers of vehicles. Every year, it produces a total of 1.8 million vehicles and 800,000 units of which are exported to different countries all over the world.
