Honda upgrades PH plant

Honda Cars Philippines Inc. (HCPI) has invested about P200 million to upgrade its manufacturing facility in Sta. Rosa, Laguna, for the production of the all-new Honda City, which was launched Tuesday night.

HCPI president and general manager Toshio Kuwahara said they expected sales of the fourth-generation Honda City to increase by as much as 15 percent this year from the 7,600 units sold in 2013. The City is also expected to account for more than half of the company’s total sales this year, reflecting a slight improvement from last year’s figures, he added.

According to Kuwahara, HCPI targets to increase the local content of the City, the only model that the company is producing at its Sta. Rosa facility, to a little more than 30 percent. At the same time, the company is planning to localize more processes as well.

The capacity of the company’s manufacturing facility remains at 15,000 units a year and has yet to be fully utilized.

The all-new City, which is offered with Honda’s improved 1.5-liter i-VTEC engine, will retail for about P756,000 to P970,000 and will be available in five colors.

The City nameplate was introduced in the Philippines in 1996. HCPI has, to date, served more than 83,500 City customers locally.

Meanwhile, Kuwahara also disclosed that HCPI will be bringing in within the second half of this year the 1.3-L Brio, which will compete in the growing small-car category (A-segment) in the country. The Honda Brio is available in India, Thailand and Indonesia and will be made available in the Philippines through imports from Thailand.

The Honda Brio, whose price range has yet to be disclosed by HCPI, is expected to compete against Toyota’s Wigo and Mitsubishi’s Mirage, among other small cars currently available in the Philippine market.