July 18, 2007 - Honda Automobile (Thailand) Co., Ltd. (HATC, President: Kenji Otaka), Honda'sautomobile production and sales subsidiary in Thailand, today announced it has begun construction of its second auto plant, foreseeing further growth in demand for automobiles in Thailand and other markets in the Asia/Oceania region. 

The second plant will be located adjacent to the existing plant and is scheduled to begin mass production in the latter half of 2008. Annual production capacity of the new plant will be expandable up to 120,000 units in the future, with employment of approximately 2,200 associates. Combined with the existing plant’s 120,000 units in annual production capacity, Honda’s total annual automobile production capacity in Thailand will reach 240,000 units. The investment for the second plant is approximately 6.2 billion baht (approximately 23 billion yen). 

The new plant will be an environmentally-responsible facility equipped with a “complete water recycling system” with zero emissions of industrial water, and water based paint with fewer VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) emissions. It will also be equipped with solar cell panels to contribute to a reduction in CO₂ emissions by 10% (vs. 2005). 

Honda will continue strengthening the quality of its operations in Thailand and further strengthen the business foundation in other markets in the Asia/Oceania region.