Honda Committed to Diesel Power for Europe

OGAWA, JAPAN – April 24, 2009: Contrary to recent reports, Honda is pleased to confirm its commitment to the development and production of cleaner diesel engines for Europe.

In fact, Honda has just celebrated the construction of a new engine plant to supply cylinder blocks and casting parts for its 2.2-litre diesel engines in European models. The manufacturing facility, at Ogawa in Japan, will start production in autumn this year, following the installation and testing of machines and equipment.

Honda currently produces diesel engine cylinder blocks at its Suzuka factory in Japan, and will gradually transfer the casting and machining process of engine parts to the new Ogawa plant. The new Ogawa plant will then supply diesel engine parts to the Sayama factory, to go into the Accord for the European market. It will also supply diesel engine parts for Honda’s factory in Swindon, which produces Civic and CR-V models.

Ogawa is the latest environmentally-responsible Honda manufacturing facility. It has been designed to decrease the amount of CO2 generated in the production of each engine by 40 per cent during the casting process, and by 25 per cent in the machining process. The plant has only one production line, but this ‘Advanced Flexible Line’ can produce eight different types of engine, including the most sophisticated low-emission units.

The completion ceremony at the new Ogawa engine plant took place on 10 April, 2009, and was attended by Shigeru Nakajima, Deputy GM of Industry and Employment at Saitama Prefecture Government, as well as Kihei Kasahara, the Mayor of Ogawa town and several Honda executives.