Production of Honda Fit Hatchback to Move to Mexican Manufacturing Plant [2]
Many Japanese automakers [3] have started to consider building cars for export markets outside their home country, due to the strength of the Yen that can increase profits. Honda [4] is a prime example, due to its recent decision to build the Honda Fit hatchback [5] at its new plant in Mexico at the beginning of spring 2014. This new plant in Guanajuato, Mexico is Honda’s third assembly plant in Mexico and is being built for the production of “fuel-efficient subcompact vehicles” for the Mexican and North American markets. The plant will raise Honda's North American production capacity to 1.83 million vehicles annually.
The plant in Mexico will be dedicated to supplying up to 200,000 subcompact vehicles per year, including the Fit hatchback, to the large United States, Mexican and Canadian markets. The new plant will cost Honda $800 million to build, will be completed in 2014 and will add 3,200 jobs to the region when it’s operational.
Honda, the Japanese automaker, already builds a huge number of vehicles in North America. In fact, more than 85 percent of the Honda and Acura models sold in America were built in the United States, Canada or Mexico. Thanks to the move of the Honda Fit to the Mexican assembly plant, all four of Honda's global nameplates will be produced in North America.