As heralded by Honda Motor’s new president and chief executive officer, Takahiro Hachigo in a speech in Tokyo last week, the automaker on Monday (13 July) announced it had begun local assembly of the Accord sedan in Lagos, Nigeria.
Honda Automobile Western Africa, a wholly-owned subsidiary, established the car plant by installing automobile production facilities and equipment within the property of the existing Honda motorcycle production plant. Initial Accord annual production capacity is 1,000 units. This car plant is Honda’s first in Africa.
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The automaker began motorcycle production and sales in Nigeria in 1980. In 2013, it established a local automobile business subsidiary and began imports and sales.
Honda views Africa as a new growth market. It has been expanding its motorcycle, automobile and power products business in the southern part of Africa through its local subsidiary established in South Africa in 2000. In Kenya, in the eastern part of Africa, Honda established an automobile business office in December 2011, followed by the establishment of a motorcycle production and sales subsidiary in March 2013.
Honda Motor senior managing officer and director, Yoshi Yamane, said: “I expect that this initiative will lead to a great leap in our automobile business in Nigeria and become a first step toward expansion to the entire African market.”
