22 May 2001: Honda has announced the development of a new global small car and three new automobile engines – one petrol and two diesel engines – as part of a strategy that Honda President and CEO Hiroyuki Yoshino said will strengthen Honda’s European operations. Honda’s plans also include further improvements in its European manufacturing facilities.

Key to the new strategies – which also includes Honda’s motorcycle and power products businesses – is the introduction of a new "B category" global small car in Japan next month and in Europe and Asia from early 2002, that will feature an all-new 1339cc "i-DSI" (Dual & Sequential Ignition) petrol engine.

When combined with Honda’s newly developed CVT transmission, Honda claims the i-DSI engine achieves the world’s top level fuel efficiency of 65 mpg* in this new vehicle.

Meanwhile, as already reported on IrishCar.Com, a 1.7-litre Isuzu-made diesel engine will come to Honda out of an agreement signed this month between Honda and Isuzu Motors Limited. To be installed in the UK-built Civic, the fuel efficient, low emission common rail diesel engine was newly developed by Isuzu and is to be made at its plant in Poland.

Honda is also developing its own 2-litre class diesel engine – based on a prototype first shown prior to the 1999 Tokyo Motor Show – that is planned for installation in the next-generation European version of the Accord in 2003. Based on Honda’s own engine technology, Honda is developing this new diesel engine with the support of Isuzu’s diesel engine expertise.

Honda has announced plans to focus the production in Honda of the UK Manufacturing (HUM) in Swindon, United Kingdom, on models based on Honda’s new Global Compact Platform. This means HUM will major on the Civic series and the CR-V and, as a result, the next-generation European Accord will be produced in Japan. Consolidating production of the European Accord with that of the Japanese version in Japan will also lead to higher production efficiency in Japan.

In summer 2001, HUM’s second UK automobile plant comes on line, increasing annual capacity to 250,000 units. To optimise use of this capacity, HUM will join the Honda Global Product Supply Network by first starting exports of the Civic 3 door to Japan in autumn 2001 and to North America early next year. The next-generation CR-V export to North America will also begin early 2002.

Honda is the largest engine maker in the world, producing more than 11.5 million engines annually for its three product lines. Honda also builds products in 109 manufacturing plants in 31 countries, employing more than 125,000 associates globally. TW