Automotive giant Dongfeng Honda announces plans to establish a new electric vehicle production facility in Wuhan, aiming for production to commence in 2024.
In a significant move towards electrification, Honda, along with its joint ventures GAC Honda and Dongfeng Honda, held a joint launch of their electrification efforts in China on October 13, officially unveiling the e:N brand of EVs.
The new plant, which will be built by Dongfeng Honda in Wuhan, central China's Hubei province, will have a production capacity of 120,000 vehicles upon completion. The plant will cover an area of 630,000 square meters and make full use of renewable energy, including solar power.
Upon its completion in 2024, the plant will introduce the latest automation technology in the welding and final assembly processes. It will also adopt measures to conserve resources, such as water recycling, and reduce emissions of air pollutants such as VOCs (volatile organic compounds).
Honda is making a big push for electrification in China, unveiling five EV models in total. Two production models under the e:N brand - Dongfeng Honda's e:NS1 Special Edition and Guangzhou Auto Honda's e:NP1 Special Edition - debuted and will be available in spring 2022.
Honda's joint venture with Guangzhou Auto, GAC Honda, is expanding its new energy vehicle (NEV) capacity, with a total investment of approximately RMB 2.989 billion ($460 million). The project, which has a total investment of approximately RMB 10 billion ($1.57 billion), will see the production of three concept cars - e:N Coupe concept, e:N SUV concept, and e:N GT concept - whose production versions will be available in five years.
Honda's plans for electric vehicle (EV) production in China include new plant projects and joint ventures, although specific details on all recent expansions are limited in the provided sources. The automotive industry in China is focusing on supply chain localization and technology maturation since 2020, suggesting Honda’s moves would align with this trend.
While no direct details on Honda’s China-based EV joint ventures in Wuhan were found, it is common for foreign automakers including Honda to partner with Chinese companies for local EV production, reflecting broader industry patterns since 2020. Honda and LG Energy Solution announced a joint venture in August 2022 to build a lithium-ion battery factory in the United States aimed at supporting Honda's electric vehicles, indicating strategic battery supply efforts but no direct link to Wuhan or China-based battery plants.
In conclusion, while clear, detailed public information about Honda’s new EV plant timelines, production capacity, and specific features in Wuhan or other Chinese joint ventures is not available in the provided documents, Honda’s known EV-related investments involve battery production in joint ventures outside China (e.g., the US) and ongoing collaboration within an evolving Chinese automotive landscape that favors local partnerships and technology localization since 2020. For the most precise and up-to-date details about Honda’s Wuhan or China EV ventures, monitoring official Honda press releases or Chinese industry reports beyond the current dataset may be necessary.
- The new plant, built by Dongfeng Honda in Wuhan, China, will have a production capacity of 120,000 electric vehicles upon completion and will make full use of renewable energy like solar power.
- Honda is not only building a new plant in Wuhan but also investing in new technology to introduce the latest automation technology in the welding and final assembly processes.
- The plant, which covers an area of 630,000 square meters, will also adopt measures to conserve resources such as water recycling and lower emissions of air pollutants like VOCs.
- In total, Honda unveiled five EV models in China, with two production models under the e:N brand debuting in spring 2022.
- Honda's joint venture with Guangzhou Auto, GAC Honda, is investing approximately RMB 2.989 billion ($460 million) to expand its new energy vehicle capacity and will produce three concept cars in the coming years.
- While specific details on Honda’s EV production plans in China outside its joint ventures are limited, the company’s moves align with the Chinese automotive industry's focus on supply chain localization and technology maturation since 2020.
