DETROIT, Mich., Jan. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- A production version of the Honda
SUT concept that debuted at the 2004 North American International Auto Show
will be produced at Honda of Canada Mfg. (HCM) in Alliston, Ontario, in 2005.
To make room for the new model, all production of Honda's popular Odyssey
minivan at HCM's No. 2 line will shift to Honda Manufacturing of Alabama (HMA)
in Lincoln, Alabama with the production start-up of the all-new '05 Odyssey in
fall 2004.
HCM launched the Honda Odyssey, Acura MDX and Honda Pilot into production.
With the move of Odyssey to HMA, the Canadian plant's No. 2 line will retain
its three light truck model responsibility with the addition of the new SUT
model.
HMA's newly built No. 2 production line in Alabama will start mass
production in April 2004, with the Honda Pilot. With this start-up, the Honda
Pilot will become a dual-sourced model, produced at HCM and HMA, providing
flexibility for the production model mix at the two plants.
The original assembly line at HMA, which opened in November 2001, will
begin production of the all-new '05 Odyssey in fall 2004, the first full model
change for the plant. The all-new Odyssey will also be introduced on the new
No. 2 line during the '05 model year. As the sole manufacturing source of the
all-new Odyssey, HMA will have the flexible production capability to allow
quick response to any changes in customer needs by maintaining a volume mix of
two models on two lines.
"We will soon have the capability to produce light trucks flexibly among
three production lines at two plants in Alabama and Canada," said Koki
Hirashima, President of Honda of America Mfg. (HAM), who is also responsible
for Honda's manufacturing operations in North America. "This will further
enhance our ability to respond more flexibly and quickly to the needs of our
customers."
The new SUT model will become the sixth light truck model for Honda and
Acura -- joining the Honda Odyssey, CR-V, Pilot, Element and Acura MDX.
Honda currently has an annual North American production capacity of
1.25 million automobiles and light trucks at its five auto plants in Ohio,
Alabama, Canada and El Salto, Mexico -- supplying more than 75 percent of the
Honda and Acura vehicles sold annually in North America. The production
capacity will grow to 1.4 million units with the second line in Alabama.
In April 2001, Honda produced its 10 millionth vehicle in North America,
since becoming the first Japanese auto company to produce cars in America in
1982, at Honda of America Mfg.'s (HAM) Marysville, Ohio auto plant. In
September 2004, Honda will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the start-up of
its first manufacturing operation in America - the HAM motorcycle plant in
1979.
Honda began operations in North America in 1959 with the establishment of
American Honda Motor Co., Honda's first overseas subsidiary. In North America,
Honda currently develops products at three major U.S. R&D centers,
manufactures products in 11 manufacturing plants using domestic and
globally-sourced parts, and markets for North America and other countries in
the world.
With its diverse line-up of automobiles and light trucks -- motorcycles,
ATVs and personal watercrafts -- and power equipment products, Honda is the
world's largest producer of engines, with more than 16.5 million annual
customers globally.
For more information and downloadable high-resolution images of the Honda
SUT Concept and other products, please go to http://www.honda.news.com.
SOURCE American Honda
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Related links:
http://www.honda.news.com
CONTACT:
Jim Miller, +1-416-287-4574, or Jeffrey
Smith, Cell, +1-310-489-3102, or Mark Morrison, Cell,
+1-205-837-8678, all for American Honda
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