Honda Inaugurates 4th Two-Wheeler plant in India

Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. (HMSI) today has inaugurated its 4th manufacturing plant at Vithalapur in India. Located at Vithalapur, Mandal taluk, Ahmedabad district, Gujarat, this latest green factory has been developed in a record time of 13 months. Honda is looking to increase its presence in the motorcycles segment as well.

The ceremony was graced by the Honourable Chief Minister of Gujarat, Anandiben Patel along with the senior company officials. Talking about the Asia region being major contributor (56 percent) of the global sales in Honda two-wheelers and how India leads the growth momentum, Mr. Noriaki Abe, Operating Officer, Chief Operating Officer - Asia and Oceania Regional Operations, Honda Motor Co., Ltd. said, “In case of 2wheelers, ASEAN countries contribute 13.8 Million Sales which is 80 % of Honda’s global unit sales with the production facility in 9 countries. India is the fastest growing economy in the world and is one of the most important and fast growing markets for Honda. With this vision of growth, today we have achieved a new milestone for our business in India. We are inaugurating our 4th factory in Gujarat. This will make India to attain No. 1 position in all ASEAN countries”.

He further added, “We would expect this growth momentum to continue for Indian market as well as expect Indian operation to be export hub for ASEAN countries.
Our goal is not only to expand our operation, but to contribute to the prosperity of society in India and Gujarat. This plant would be a benchmark plant in India not only in terms of volume, but safety, quality, morale and human aspect.”

Elaborating on the trend of increasing demand for automatic scooters in Indian market and how bringing a scooter only plant in India makes business sense for Honda, Mr. Keita Muramatsu – President & CEO, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. said, “Increasing Scooterization, a trend seen earlier in developed markets of the world, is the key driver for Indian 2Wheeler industry today. Leading this change from the front is Honda 2Wheelers - the undisputed market leader in this segment in India with a market-share of 56% and growing. Gujarat is an extremely productive market for Honda”.

We have a market share of 62% of the scooter segment here. As we gear up to take up this challenge of meeting the customer demand, Gujarat is an ideal home and a springboard to achieve greater heights. Now, the Honda automatic scooter you ride will not only be “Made in India” but also “Made in Gujarat” he said.