In a significant move to strengthen the ‘Make in India’ initiative, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI) has inaugurated a new third assembly line at its fourth two-wheeler plant at Vithalapur in the state of Gujarat (India) adding a capacity of 6.5 lakh units. The new assembly line and capacity expansion plan will increase HMSI’s total annual production volumes significantly.
“The Gujarat plant of HMSI produces scooter models for domestic as well as export markets which will help us to continue leading the trend of scooterisation not just in India but across the globe,” says Tsutsumu Otani, President, Managing Director & CEO. The state-of-the-art Vithalapur facility is Honda’s largest scooter-only plant in the world and is aligned to the company’s steadfast commitment to local manufacturing aligning seamlessly with the government’s ‘Make in India’ vision.
Honda’s bestselling two-wheeler, Activa, and other scooter models like Dio, Activa 125 and Dio 125 are manufactured at the Vithalapur facility. The Gujarat plant also has a dedicated engine line that serves as a base to manufacture global engines (for 250 cc and above category two-wheelers) to serve the global demand, like Thailand, US, Europe, Japan among others.
India is one of the most important production base for Honda globally in two-wheeler manufacturing capacity. Honda’s twowheeler plant in Vithalapur along with the supply chain has already created a massive employment opportunities in the state, this expansion will add additional opportunities further. The company also plans to increase female work force in manufacturing area.
The company is also actively working towards its goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030 at the Gujarat plant. It currently uses 75 per cent electrical power from renewable energy source (wind and solar power), utilizes rainwater harvesting and is a zero liquid discharge and zero waste to landfill manufacturing facility.