Torrance, California, April 14, 1998 - Honda North America Inc., the US holding company belonging to Honda Motor Co., Ltd., today announced from its head office in Torrance, California that in March Honda achieved cumulative automobile volume production in North America (covering the United States and Canada) of 7 million vehicles.
Honda first began manufacturing automobiles locally in the United States back in 1982 at a plant in Marysville, Ohio, production being the responsibility of Honda of America Manufacturing Inc. By 1985 Honda had become the 4th biggest automobile manufacturer behind the Big Three. In 1986, Honda of Canada Manufacturing began producing Civics at its plant in Alliston, Ontario. From then onwards, as well as starting up new plants to produce automobile engines, Honda has gradually expanded its North American manufacturing operations. Currently, Honda has three plants across the USA and Canada making finished automobiles, and one each producing engines and transmissions, and 70% of the Honda vehicles sold in North America are made locally. Honda's annual production figures for automobiles (excluding trucks) rank it third among North American automakers.

Alongside its manufacturing operations, ever since the second half of the 1980s Honda has built up its North American R&D, engineering and purchasing capabilities. Honda vehicles are now developed and mass-manufactured wholly within, and for, the North American market, and the local parts procurement rate averages well over 90%. In addition, from 1987 onwards, Honda began exporting vehicles made in North America, mainly back to Japan. To date, Honda has exported around 500,000 vehicles from North America to over 90 countries around the world. From development through to manufacturing, Honda's North American operations are now very much a separate entity.

Last year Honda manufactured 813,000 4-wheeled vehicles in the United States and Canada, while at the same time planning to further expand capacity to meet ever-increasing demand. In autumn 1998, HCM will commence operations at its second production line. By 2001, Honda plans to possess a total annual manufacturing capacity of nearly 1.01 million 4-wheeled vehicles in North America. The total net investment by Honda in its North American operations now exceeds US$ 4 billion, and the various companies in North America directly employ over 20,000 people.