Honda Two-Wheelers to increase production as exports expand to 58 countries
Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) will be expanding its production capacity for scooters at the Vithalapur plant in Gujarat by six lakh units. The increment in production capacity emerges as the manufacturer is looking to address the new demand from export markets. Honda currently ships its two-wheelers to 38 countries, which will increase to a whopping 58 countries in FY2023-24.
The realigning of the production strategy is being done to address this new demand with a new assembly line at the Vithalapur plant. Speaking on the sidelines of its EV strategy announcement for India, Honda announced that the company has expanded its footprint in the Oceania region with exports commenced to Australia, and New Zealand, along with powertrain exports to global markets from HMSI’s Gujarat facility.
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Honda is looking at its India operations with massive export potential and will be increasing exports from 18 models currently to 20 models by the end of the next financial year. The move also shows the brand will continue to focus on its petrol-powered offerings, which will continue to drive a major chunk of its sales in the future. Honda previously announced it aims to have 15 per cent of its sales coming from EVs by 2030.
What’s also noteworthy is that Honda plans to update its existing model range to OBD2 compliance in a staggered manner. All Honda two-wheelers will be OBD2 compliant and E20 ready by September this year, while only a few of its models are currently compatible. This includes the Honda Activa 6G, Activa 125, and the CB350 range. We expect to see timely updates coming to the complete range soon.
Furthermore, the company will also continue working on flex-fuel technology for India, learning from its counterpart in Brazil. The company has plans of introducing a new flex-fuel two-wheeler in the near future. Meanwhile, a new 350 cc offering is also on the cards and could come by Diwali this year. There have been rumours of a 350 ADV from the Japanese manufacturer and this could just be what the two-wheeler giant has in store.