Honda of Canada Mfg. (HCM) celebrated a major milestone on May 29, when Canadian auto dealer attended the celebration of Honda’s 10 millionth vehicle to be produced in Canada.
The occasion was celebrated at the company’s second plant on 6900 Industrial Parkway in Alliston, Ont., which included a brief ceremony with remarks from Jean Marc Leclerc, President and CEO Honda Canada.
“Since 1986, HCM has been a class leader in Canadian automotive manufacturing and production and one of Honda’s most important facilities on a global scale. It’s been a pillar of the local economy and community for decades and will be for generations to come,” said Leclerc.
To his right was Honda’s 10 millionth vehicle to be manufactured in Canada, the 2023 Honda CR-V Touring Hybrid. On his left was a vintage Honda Accord, flanked by a row of all the other Honda and Acura models produced in the country since 1986. Leclerc said Honda was the first Japanese OEM to establish a production facility in Canada. The Honda Accord was the first vehicle built at HCM.
“This achievement is a testament to the hard work, commitment and dedication of generations of HCM associates. I want to thank and congratulate them on this historic milestone,” said Leclerc.
HCM operates three manufacturing facilities in Alliston. Two of them currently produce the Honda CR-V and Honda Civic, and the third produces four-cylinder engines. HCM said it has the capacity to manufacture more than 400,000 vehicles and 190,000 engines on a yearly basis.
Touring the plant
Prior to the presentation, Canadian auto dealer was among the media invited on a brief plant tour. On the escorted tool by plant leaders, we were shown two areas — the first being a manufacturing cell where hybrid electric batteries are assembled in a tightly controlled environment.
The second was a paint production area that relies entirely on automated robots to spray the vehicles, and a finishing area where a team of Honda associates manually inspected each painted vehicle frame. In the paint area, there are about 300 robots and about 100 associates.
After the ceremony, Honda associates posed for pictures around the 10 millionth vehicle with Honda of Canada’s leaders.
A history of Honda of Canada’s milestones:
| 1986: | The first vehicle built at HCM, a Honda Accord, is driven off the line. HCM became the first Japanese automobile manufacturer to establish a production facility in Canada. |
| 1988: | HCM begins building Civics. The first Civic was a three-door model. |
| 1989: | Mr. Honda visits HCM and tours the plant on his way to be inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in Detroit. |
| 1993: | Production of the Civic Coupe model begins with the 1993 model. |
| 1998: | Plant 2 officially opens with Honda’s first entry into the light truck market — the Honda Odyssey. |
| 2002: | HCM launches the Honda Pilot and is the sole supplier globally for this product. |
| 2006: | HCM celebrates its 20th anniversary and manufactures Honda Canada’s four-millionth vehicle, a Civic. |
| 2008: | The Engine Plant opens and begins production of four-cylinder engines. |
| 2012: | HCM produces the six-millionth vehicle and donates it to the local hospital. HCM begins building the Honda CR-V for the North American market. |
| 2015: | HCM is the global lead for the next-generation Civic |
| 2018: | Engine Plant produces its two millionth engine. HCM Plant 2 celebrates 20 years of production; Engine Plant celebrates 10. |
| 2022: | HCM is the global lead plant for manufacturing the all-new 2023 CR-V and North America lead plant for the CR-V Hybrid |
| 2023: | HCM produces the 10 millionth Honda vehicle manufactured in Canada, a 2023 Honda CR-V Touring Hybrid. |
