Manila, August 19, 2003 --- Honda Parts Manufacturing Corp., Honda Motor Company's parts manufacturing subsidiary in the Philippines, held an inauguration ceremony today and began production of manual transmissions for automobiles at a new plant adjacent to its existing facility . The production capacity of the new plant is 140,000 manual transmissions per year, representing a capital investment of approximately 2 billion yen. The expansion will also increase employment by approximately 200 associates. 

Since July 2002, Honda Parts Manufacturing Corp. has manufactured manual transmissions within the existing service parts plant and supplied them to Honda automobile plants within the ASEAN region. Production output in the fiscal year 2002 totaled approximately 16,000 units. Through the completion of the new plant, production for the current fiscal year, ending March 2004, is expected to reach approximately 60,000 units. In addition to supplying manual transmissions to countries within the ASEAN region, they will also be supplied to Honda automobile plants outside the ASEAN region, mainly in Europe. 

Under the concept of "Made by Global Honda," Honda has been working to establish a highly efficient and flexible global production and parts procurement network, making optimal use of the competitiveness of its production facilities located in every region of the world. The production start-up of the new manual transmission plant in the Philippines and the beginning of exports to countries outside the ASEAN region represents a part of this strategy. By capitalizing on its highly competitive production facilities in Asia, which produce both low cost and high quality components, Honda's goal is to meet the increasing demand for automobile production while further enhancing its global competitiveness.