HONDA CANADA – Honda of Canada Mfg. (HCM) in Alliston, Ontario, announced yesterday it has returned to regular production levels. As a result, the supply of vehicles, including the all-new 2012 Honda Civic, is returning to normal at Honda dealerships across Canada. After the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan this spring, HCM production was reduced to approximately 50 per cent during the summer months due to the shortage of critical parts from that region.
Approximately 95 per cent of Honda vehicles sold in Canada are produced in North America. Prior to the March 11 earthquake in Japan, HCM was assembling more than 28,000 vehicles per month, bound for sale in Canada and the U.S. While the majority of Honda's parts and materials are sourced locally, certain critical parts are supplied from Japan for global efficiency. As a result, vehicles produced at HCM were adversely affected by the earthquake, especially the 2012 Civic.
The reduced summer production schedule resulted in Plant 1 consolidating its two shifts into one shift operation. As well, several non-production days were scheduled during the reduced production period. On those days, Associates had a variety of options including taking part in business improvement activities, training, and volunteering. This schedule helped Associates provide 325 hours of community support to local food banks, humane societies and Habitat for Humanity.
"We are extremely thankful for the dedication, support and flexibility of our 4,200 Associates through these challenging times," said Jon Minto, senior vice president of Honda of Canada Mfg. "We also know that our Canadian operations play a large role in our local community, so we are pleased to return to regular production."
The resulting production reductions affected a number of Honda's vehicles, but particularly the all-new 2012 Honda Civic which had begun production just prior to the March 11 Japan earthquake. As Canada's top-selling passenger car for the past 13 years, Civic is an important car in Canada, with more than 1.6 million sold since 1973 and more than 930,000 –nearly 60 per cent- of those still on the road.
In September, Plant 1 (which builds the Civic Sedan, Civic Coupe, and the Civic Si coupe and sedan) returned to two shift operations. This month, both Plant 1 and Plant 2 returned to pre-earthquake production levels on all four shifts.
"This challenging year reminds us of the deep relationship we have with our Associates, dealers and customers," said Jerry Chenkin, executive vice president of Honda Canada Inc. "It is heartening to know that so many customers patiently waited for our all-new Civic while production was reduced. The Civic truly lives up to its promise as a car for everyone and we're excited to have the production capabilities back online to supply the growing demand."
About the 2012 Honda Civic
Designed to better meet the diverse needs of the compact car buyer, the 2012 Honda Civic has improved fuel economy across all of its models with the coupe, sedan and hybrid also featuring Honda's ECO Assist technology – an innovation that can enhance efficient vehicle operation while providing feedback to promote more efficient individual driving styles.
Performance has also been improved for the ninth generation Civic, particularly with the Si models which are equipped with a larger, more powerful 2.4-litre engine, delivering 201 horsepower with 170 lb.-ft. of torque and a revised 6-speed manual transmission.
"The all-new Civic has evolved with the changing needs of our customers by adding the green, safe and fun features they asked for," said Mr. Chenkin. "An exceptional value package has been created for Canadian consumers by combining added standard equipment and a price reduction for the all-new Civic. Built for Canadians, by Canadians, Civic offers the most diverse line-up in the industry to best meet the needs and preferences of individual Canadians."
For further information about the entire Honda line-up, please visit www.honda.ca