Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India begins engine manufacturing at Gujarat plant for global markets
Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. will now be manufacturing global engines at its fourth factory in India at Vithalapur (Ahmedabad district), Gujarat. The dedicated engine line helps meet international demand for Honda two-wheelers in Thailand, US, Canada, Europe, Japan, Australia, and Gulf nations (Europe and APAC regions), among others.
Engine capacity under consideration is 250cc (& above) category two-wheelers. Honda has multiple products in the 250cc and above segment on offer. These includes range of scooters (Forza 250, ADV 350, etc) as well as motorcycles (CBR250R, CB350, CB300R, etc).
In all, production capacity in year one is capped at close to 50k units. This will be scaled up in accordance to future market demand. At an investment of over Rs 135 crore, Honda’s set-up will manufacture ‘Midsize Fun model’ engines from its Gujarat Plant for both, domestic and international markets.
Expansion of exports
Atsushi Ogata, Managing Director, President & CEO, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. said, “As demand for mobility rises globally, Honda envisions further expansion of its exports footprint across the world. With the introduction of BSVI norms in India, we are a step closer to achieve this vision.
Building products which are at par with global standards of manufacturing, this new expansion will allow HMSI to develop production capabilities to strengthen our direction of make in India, for the world.” Following the development, HMSI is enabled to to take its ‘current exports capacity to new heights both in terms of markets as well as global quality standards.’
To cope with engine production expansion, Honda falls back on special processes across manufacturing stages. This includes machining, engine assembly, and advanced storage systems. Having built on increased production capability from ground up, Honda relies in modern tech and a highly skilled workforce to maintain its rigorous quality standards.
Honda global sales
Reliance on automotive safety, emission and performance standards ensures that the new production line upholds seamless integration of the manufacturer’s export capability with that of the global auto industry. New infra in tandem with best practices and standardized technologies cater to key aspects of engine production and assembly.
Honda two wheelers in India already plays a crucial role in the larger scheme of things for the global manufacturer. In terms of global sales, sales in India contributes for a bulk of total share. In terms of business expansion, Honda has already begun meeting demand in the 350cc segment here following years of dominance in the scooter segment.
While Honda’s global midsize segment is more nuanced, it’s start in India has been promising, and the company is continually building on market share, and reach. With the 350cc segment motorcycles being sold in India through Honda BigWing dealerships, Honda has ensured the number of such dealerships continues to grow at a faster pace in recent months.
Source: Bike - rushlane.com
