Automobile manufacturer Honda Automobile Thailand (HATC) has commenced the construction of its new automobile production plant in the home-market with an investment of about THB17.15bn ($552.4m).
Located at the Rojana Industrial Park in Prachinburi Province, the new plant is scheduled to start operations in 2015, with annual production capacity of 120,000 units.
The manufacturer is planning to introduce new production technologies in the painting and welding processes at the facility and produce small and sub-compact sized vehicles in order to address the increasing global demand.
Honda president and CEO Takanobu Ito said the company will continue to create automobiles that meet customer needs and to fulfill its environmental commitment while continuing to grow its business.
"Thailand has long been one of our key markets and an important R&D and production base for Honda in the Asia/Oceania region," Ito said.
Additionally, the company is planning to expand the production line at its existing plant in Ayutthaya to increase its annual production capacity from the current 280,000 units to 300,000 units in 2014.
Following the expansion, the total production capacity of the company will reach 420,000 units in 2015.
The new facility will produce vehicle models including Brio, Brio Amaze, Jazz, Jazz Hybrid, City, City CNG, Civic, Civic Hybrid, Accord and CR-V.
