Honda to build new CR-V in Alliston, shift MDX to Alabama

It's a day of mixed news at Honda of Canada Manufacturing (HCM) as employees were informed this morning that the automaker's redesigned 2012 CR-V will be built in Alliston, while the Acura MDX production is transferring to Alabama in 2013.

Auto industry analysts have been speculating for months about Honda's plans for its crossover vehicle - a mix of sports utility and hatchback/station wagon. It's anticipated to make its debut later this year at the Los Angeles Auto Show, and scheduled to start appearing in dealer showrooms this fall.

Honda introduced North American CR-V production at its East Liberty, Ohio, and Mexican plant, for the 2007 model year.

"The CRV has continued to gain in market share, and is the second-highest-selling Honda vehicle in terms of Honda Canada's sales, " noted Lisa Timpf, HCM's Manager of Associates, in an email to Free Press Online. "By producing the CRV and Civic at HCM, we will be building in Canada more than 50 per cent (by volume) of the products Honda Canada sells."

However, that news was tempered by the continuing production slow downs due to the parts situation as a result of the Japan earthquake and tsunami.

"We anticipate the adjustments will need to continue through the summer months, and have identified the detailed schedule for May and June 2011," wrote Ms. Timpf. "This includes (now that we know it's a longer term picture) running non-production days on Mondays and Fridays through May at all HCM plants. For the majority of these days, Associates continue to have the option to work, or to take time off. For one of these days, Associates will be asked to take time off only, but we are providing some flexibility for coverage by pulling ahead a bonus normally paid out in June, and allowing them to convert it into floater days if they wish, to use to cover non production time. So we are trying to minimize the impact on Associates by giving them options.

During the month of June (starting June 6), Plant 1 and Engine Plant will go to one shift, to allow us to use some of the manpower freed up to cover vacation and work on key business activities.

All Associates will still continue to work, so condensing to one shift is simply an issue of re-allocating manpower. Plant 2 will have a similar schedule to May (ie Mondays and Fridays designated as non production days), and will continue to operate on two shifts. Plant 1 and Engine Plant will work 8 hour days on one shift throughout June, with the exception of two Fridays where all HCM Associates will be asked to exercise one of their time off options (vacation, floater, unpaid, etc. at their choice)."

HCM employs more than 4,200 people at its two assembly plants in Alliston.

Source;

http://www.madhunt.com/honda-crv-allistn-20110502.html

Honda Civic Type R will no longer be sold in many areas of Europe

Although the Honda Civic Type R represents the dream of every driver, it appears that the Japanese manufacturer took the decision to stop selling the car in many areas of Europe from the end of 2010.

Why? Because the sporty hatch it’s not so eco-friendly and does not currently meet the Euro 5 emission regulations. The company will continue to sell the Civic Type R in markets where regulations allow it, and it will remain in production at the Swindon manufacturing plant. For those who don’t know, the 8000 rpm, 201 PS, 3-door made its debut in concept form at the Geneva Motor Show in 2006, while the production version of the car was unveiled in 2006 at the Paris Motor Show.

Source;
http://www.4wheelsnews.com/honda-civic-type-r-will-no-longer-be-sold-in-many-areas-of-europe/

Oldest Honda plant shifts to meeting green demand

SAYAMA, Japan — Honda has adjusted production as global demand shifts to small and greener models, turning its oldest Japanese plant into an assembly line for the Fit subcompact for the U.S. market.
But the Saitama plant, which employs 5,500 people, is also showing signs of hard times - running just a single shift instead of the previous two shifts, halving overall plant production to 1,100 vehicles a day.
The Honda Motor Co. factory, shown to reporters Wednesday, used to mostly make bigger models like the Odyssey minivan and Accord sedan.
The plant, which opened in 1964 in this Tokyo suburb, has successfully responded to shifting consumer tastes, as the recent rise in gas prices and concerns about global warming make smaller models like the Fit more in demand, according to Honda.
It began mass-producing the Fit for U.S. export in April, transferring some of that production from another Japanese plant, in Suzuka, central Japan, which is too busy these days churning out the hit Insight hybrid.
Tomonori Arai, a general manager, said Honda was able to efficiently move production because it has standardized robotics parts and other assembly procedures.
The efforts to unify assembly line methods also make it easier to start making cars at new plants, including those abroad. But there are no plans so far to start making the Fit in the U.S., Arai said.
Before such efforts, which began several years ago, it required more than seven months to launch a new product at Saitama. Today, it was able to start Fit production in just three months.
That underlines ongoing efforts at Japanese automakers to cut costs and stay nimble as this nation's top industry gets hammered by the global downturn, especially the slump in the critical North American market.
During a tour of the plant, Honda demonstrated how the same line was able to produce different models smoothly.
It also showed how robotics parts on big swinging arms got changed automatically in a matter of minutes, so that the same line could switch from putting together a Freed hatchback to an Odyssey.
Other automakers, including Japanese rival Toyota Motor Corp., boast flexible production methods and are shifting to smaller models and hybrids.
Honda, with its strength in small models, stayed in the black for the fiscal year ended March 31, and has fared relatively better than Toyota, which sank to its worst yearly loss.
Still, before the financial crisis, the Saitama plant used to have two worker shifts for each of its two assembly lines, keeping the plant running from early in the morning until near midnight.
Now, it is down to one daytime shift.
The plant has enough workers for two shifts, but global demand would have to pick up significantly, boosting needs per line by about 350 vehicles a day to revert to two shifts, Arai said.
"I wish I knew when this could happen," he said. "We have no plans now to return to two shifts."

Source;
http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5jZjw78EB8npqzwd2v6evapt_gW3g