Honda to open new factory in China dedicated for EV
Honda has big plans when it comes to electrifying its lineup. Last year, the company revealed a wide range of upcoming battery electric vehicles as part of the e:N family. It starts with the e:N P1 and the e:N S1, two crossovers that appear to be based on the Honda SUV e:prototype and the new HR-V, but with slightly different styling. Three other EVs will follow – the e:N SUV Concept, e:N GT Concept, and the e:N Coupe concept.
To produce all these vehicles, Honda has announced it will be building a new dedicated EV production plant. The plant will be a joint venture with Dongfeng Honda, the company’s Chinese subsidiary.
The new Dongfeng Honda EV plant will be located in the Wuhan Economic Development Zone in Hubei Province, China, and covers 630,000 square meters. The company aims to have the facility operational and make EVs by 2024. It will have an annual capacity of 120,000 units.
Honda says the plant is designed to be a "highly efficient and smart plant" capable of start-to-finish EV production. This means it will conduct the complete process of EV production from stamping to welding, painting, assembly, and even complete vehicle inspection. Some of the assembly processes will even be automated. To be eco-friendly, the plant will utilize renewable energy resources such as solar power and use of recycled water.
There’s no word yet if Honda Cars Philippines plans to offer EVs here in the future. But if they do, it will likely come from this upcoming plant.