New Delhi, April 2, 2013: Honda Cars India is investing Rs 2,500 crore at its Tapukara plant in Rajasthan for setting up a new assembly line for producing cars. The first car will roll out in the first half of 2014 from this facility which will have a production capacity of 120,000 units per annum.
The carmaker has also set up a fully integrated diesel engine component and assembly unit with a production capacity of 160,000 units per annum. A new forgings unit, with a capacity for 10 lakh units per annum, will also become operational in 2014 at Tapukara. The total investment in the expansion project including operations at Greater Noida is Rs 6,700 crore. Exports of diesel engine parts from Tapukara have already commenced to the UK.
On the model front, Honda says it plans to roll out 5 new models in the next 3 years, the first of which will be the entry level saloon Amaze that will be launched on April 11 and will be available in both petrol and diesel engine options. The new 1.5-litre i-DTEC diesel engine, based on Honda’s Earth Dreams technology that will power the Amaze, will also power new Honda models as well as new face-lifted car variants, according to Hironori Kanayama, president and CEO Honda Cars India.
There has also been a senior management change. Yoshiyuki Matsumoto, who also serves as vice-president of Asian Honda Motor, has been appointed president and CEO of Honda Motor India. He will take care of product development, purchasing and manufacturing operations of Asia and Oceania.
Matsumoto told Autocar Professional that a new saloon is likely to be launched after the Amaze in the Indian market. The expansion at Tapukara is expected to generate employment for 2,200 people at start of production and combined with the capacity of the new plant. Honda Cars India’s total installed production capacity will stand augmented to 240,000 units per annum in 2014 as the existing Greater Noida plant has an installed capacity of 120,000 units.
SHOBHA MATHUR