The production version of the Honda SUT sports truck concept that debuted at the 2004 North American International Auto Show will be produced at Honda of Canada Manufacturing (HCM) in Alliston, Ontario, in 2005.
To make room for the new model, all production of the popular Odyssey minivan at HCM’s No. 2 line will shift to ‘HMA’ in Lincoln, Alabama with the production start-up of the redesigned 2005 Odyssey in autumn 2004.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
HCM launched the Honda Odyssey and Pilot and the Acura MDX into North American production and, with the move of the Odyssey to HMA, the Canadian plant’s No. 2 line will retain responsible for three light truck models with the addition of the new SUT.
HMA’s newly built No. 2 production line in Alabama will start volume production in April 2004, with the Pilot. With this start-up, the Pilot will become a dual-sourced model, produced at both HCM and HMA, providing flexibility for the production model mix at the two plants.
The original assembly line at HMA, which opened in November 2001, will begin production of the ’05 Odyssey in autumn 2004, the first full model change for the plant. As the sole manufacturing source of the new Odyssey, HMA will have the flexible production capability to allow quick response to any changes in customer needs by maintaining a volume mix of two models on two lines.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalData“We will soon have the capability to produce light trucks flexibly among three production lines at two plants in Alabama and Canada,” said Honda of America Mfg. president Koki Hirashima, who is also responsible for all manufacturing operations in North America.
The new SUT model will become the sixth light truck model for Honda and Acura – joining the Honda Odyssey, CR-V, Pilot and Element and Acura’s MDX.
Honda currently has an annual production capacity of 1.25 million cars and light trucks at its five vehicle plants in Ohio, Alabama, Canada and El Salto, Mexico – supplying more than 75% of the vehicles it sells annually in North America. The production capacity will grow to 1.4 million units with the second line in Alabama.
In April 2001, Honda produced its 10 millionth vehicle in North America, after becoming the first Japanese car company to produce there in 1982, at Honda of America Mfg.’s (HAM) Marysville, Ohio, plant.
In September 2004, Honda will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the start-up of its first manufacturing operation in America – the HAM motorcycle plant in 1979.
Honda began operations in North America in 1959 with the establishment of American Honda Motor Co., its first overseas subsidiary.
It currently develops products at three major US R&D centres, and manufactures its products in 11 plants – these include so-called power products such as lawn mowers and small engines.
