Honda boosts mainland manufacturing

Honda is expected to boost its manufacturing capacity in China by 65% this year to 530,000 vehicles a year, the Wall Street Journal reported. Honda announced last week that its Hubei-based joint venture company, Dongfeng Honda Automobile Co, had completed a US$348 million expansion to quadruple plant production capacity from 30,000 to 120,000 vehicles a year. Honda is also expected to spend US$274 million to add a second line to a plant it operates jointly with Guangzhou Automobile Group in Guangzhou, with production expected to start toward the end of this year.