Honda to assemble Fit Hybrid in Thailand
Honda Motor plans to assemble the hybrid version of its Fit subcompact in Thailand, for Thai and neighbouring markets, Japanese business daily Nikkei said.
The daily noted this would be the first time that the 1.3-litre subcompact would be manufactured outside Japan and the locally-assembled version will be called Jazz Hybrid. The assembly would start in the summer.
Thailand now houses a big assembly facility of Honda in Ayutthaya. With annual capacity of 240,000 units, the plant was suspended for six months, from October to late March, following last year's floods.
Nikkei said that Honda sets an eye on exporting it to neighbouring nations. The daily added that currently, all Fit Hybrids, with sales of about 86,000 units in 2011, are manufactured in Japan, the Nikkei said.
Honda's move is aimed at reducing production costs and tapping local demand for fuel-efficient vehicles through competitive pricing, the Japanese business daily added.
