The GAC Honda EV plant is Honda's second in China after the Dongfeng Honda EV plant.
Japanese auto giant Honda has put its second electric vehicle (EV) plant into production as it accelerates its electrification transition in China.
GAC Honda, a joint venture between Honda and GAC Group, officially started production today at its new energy vehicle (NEV) plant in Guangzhou, Guangdong province in southern China, Honda China announced today.
Located in the Guangzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone, the plant is the Japanese automaker's second NEV plant in China, following the October 11 startup of the NEV plant of Dongfeng Honda, Honda's joint venture with Dongfeng Motor.
The GAC Honda NEV plant has an annual capacity of 120,000 vehicles, the same as Dongfeng Honda's NEV plant.
The plant utilizes a large number of advanced technologies, as well as measures to reduce carbon emissions.
Its welding shop makes large-scale use of high-speed robots to automate 100 percent of welding, according to Honda.
The plant makes extensive use of AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) equipment for 100 percent automation of transportation.
A total of 22 MW of photovoltaic power generation systems have been deployed at the plant, which is expected to generate about 22 million kWh of electricity per year, cutting carbon emissions by 13,000 tons per year.
Honda is accelerating its electrification efforts in China in order to achieve its 2050 carbon neutral goal, the Japanese automaker said.
By 2027, Honda's pure electric lineup in China will reach 10 models, including the e:N series launched in 2022 and the new electric brand “Ye” series launched in 2024.
By 2035, all models sold by Honda in China will be battery electric vehicles (BEVs), it said, repeating previously mentioned goals.
On October 11, Dongfeng Honda saw its NEV plant in Wuhan, Hubei Province, go into operation, Honda's EV plant first in the world.
Located in the Wuhan Economic and Technological Development Zone, the plant covers an area of about 630,000 square meters and would initially produce a number of EV models, including the Lingxi L and Ye S7.
Lingxi L is the first EV model of Lingxi, a sub-brand of Dongfeng Honda, which went on sale on September 27. Ye is a new brand announced by Honda in China in April.
The opening of Honda's NEV plant comes at a time when Japanese automakers, including Honda, are seeing a rapid decline in sales in China.
In the January-November period, Honda sold 740,399 vehicles in China, a year-on-year decrease of 30.7 percent, according to data compiled by CnEVPost.
Honda's 1st NEV plant globally goes into production in China
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