For the first time in its history, Honda’s U.S. subsidiary has become a net exporter in 2013, exporting 108,705 U.S.-made Honda and Acura vehicles versus 88,537 vehicles it imported from Japan.
Honda produced 1,781,213 vehicles in North America last year (up 5.3 percent over 2012), of which 1,309,917 units were built in the U.S. – an increase of 7.4 percent from the previous record in 2012.
Honda has invested more than $2.7 billion over the past three years to expand its U.S. and North American auto production operations. As a result, the company says that nearly 95 percent of the Honda and Acura cars and trucks sold in the U.S. are made locally in North America.
“In just a few decades, the expansion of free trade and growth in U.S. operations has transformed Honda from importing 100 percent of the cars sold in the U.S. to establishing the U.S. as an export and production hub,” said Rick Schostek, senior vice president of Honda North America.
Honda says it was the only automaker to have three car lines – Civic, CR-V and Accord – sell more than 300,000 units in the U.S. in 2013, all of which are manufactured in North America.
The Japanese carmaker currently has the capacity to build 1.72 million cars and light trucks a year in North America at seven auto plants (five in the U.S., one in Canada and one in Mexico). Next month Honda will open its eighth North American plant and its second in Mexico. The Celaya facility will build the 2015 Honda Fit and will boost production capacity to 1.92 million units in North America.
By Dan Mihalascu
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