Honda unveils EV plant in China
Guangzhou, China (Jiji Press) — Honda Motor Co. unveiled to media Wednesday its 3.49-billion-yuan new joint venture electric vehicle plant with an output capacity of 120,000 units per year in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, China.
The Japanese automaker aims to accelerate its shift from gasoline vehicles as it struggles with competition with homegrown EV makers in China.
The new plant, run by GAC Honda Automobile Co., a joint venture between Honda and Chinese automaker Guangzhou Automobile Group Co., started operations in December.
Almost all operations at the plant are automated, with robots and artificial intelligence used in the welding and other processes.
On Wednesday, the plant started production of the P7, a new model in the Ye EV series.
Honda aims to create electrified mobility that “exceeds the expectations of Chinese customers,” Masayuki Igarashi, head of the company’s China operations, said.
In 2024, Honda’s new vehicle sales in China fell 30.9 pct from the previous year to 852,269 units, slipping below one million units for the first time in nine years.
