Honda Motor (China) Investment Co., Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Honda in China, announced that its joint venture, GAC Honda Automobile Co., Ltd. (GAC Honda), has officially commenced operations at its newly built New Energy Vehicle (NEV) production facility, the Development District NEV Factory. Located in the Guangzhou Economic and Technological Development District of Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, China, the facility is equipped with state-of-the-art production technology to create an efficient, intelligent, and low-carbon manufacturing process.
The plant has fully automated parts logistics in the stamping and welding stages, eliminating the need for logistics personnel. Additionally, it introduces AI-driven welding strength inspections, a first for any Honda facility. Around 30% of the assembly process is automated, ensuring a highly efficient production line.
To make this plant more environmentally-responsible, solar power systems generating a total of 22 megawatts will be installed within the property of the plant. It is expected that the annual CO2 emissions will be reduced by approximately 13,000 tons through the utilization of renewable energy. In addition, GAC Honda will strive to further reduce the environmental impact of the plant through the use of newly developed low-VOC paints and the installation of equipment capable of treating 100% of the toxic substances contained in factory wastewater. In order to minimize the impact on air pollution, GAC Honda will aim to reduce VOC emissions from the new plant by more than 70% compared to the standard limit set by Guangdong Province.
Honda has set a global environmental goal of “realizing carbon neutrality for all products and corporate activities Honda is involved in by 2050.” In China, Honda is planning to introduce a total of 10 Honda-brand EV models by 2027, including models for the e:N Series launched in 2022, as well as the Ye Series, a next-generation EV series Honda is planning to launch in the current fiscal year ending March 31, 2025. With these EV models, Honda is aiming to achieve 100% EV sales in China by 2035.
