CHRYSLER AND KANGO INTRODUCE FAMILY RIDESHARE PARTNERSHIP

 Chrysler Brand and Kango Announce First-of-its-kind Family Rideshare Service Partnership

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• Partnership is first-of-its-kind partnership between an automaker and family rideshare service for children ages preschool to high school
• Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivans to be provided for lease to eligible drivers for Kango, the California-based family rideshare service, in San Francisco beginning in fall 2017
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• Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivans will outfit Kango drivers with branded vehicles featuring state-of-the-art plug-in safety and technology features
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• The Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid is the first electrified vehicle in the minivan segment and achieves 84 miles per gallon equivalent (MPGe) in electric-only mode and 33 miles of all-electric range
• Kango is the safe and dependable ride service that helps parents get their kids where they need to go, when they're not able to do so themselves
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• The Chrysler brand and Kango, an app-based, on-demand service providing safe, reliable rides and childcare for kids from preschool to high school, today announced a new partnership that will make available new Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivans for use by eligible Kango drivers. In this first-of-a-kind partnership between a family rideshare service and an automaker in the U.S., the Chrysler brand will make a fleet of new Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivans available to eligible Kango drivers, for an affordable lease, to promote safety and environmental stewardship and to provide a best-in-class ride.
  
  The California-based Kango will deploy the Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid vehicles in San Francisco beginning in fall 2017. The Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivans will be used by Kango’s pre-screened, trusted drivers to transport riders in the San Francisco Bay area.
  
  “Kango is excited to partner with Chrysler to make its new Pacifica Hybrid minivans available to our eligible drivers,” said Sara Schaer, CEO of Kango. “In addition to being a green vehicle with the best mileage of any minivan, the Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid will help us meet the growing demand for shared carpool rides for groups of kids going places. Drivers save money on gas. Kids are delighted with the minivan’s kid-friendly features. It’s a win for everyone.”
  
  “Parents and children today are busier than ever and often need to be in multiple places at one time. The Chrysler brand is focused on providing transportation solutions for families to make their lives easier,” said Tim Kuniskis, Head of Passenger Car Brands – Dodge, SRT, Chrysler and FIAT, FCA – North America. “The Chrysler Pacifica is the ultimate family vehicle, and with the addition of the Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid, it’s now the most fuel-efficient family vehicle. Together with Kango, we will make it easier for parents to manage conflicting priorities at work with the knowledge that their kids are being transported to their activities in a safe environment.”
  
  Kango and Chrysler brand are providing families with top of the line safety, technology, comfort, and service for the benefit and enjoyment of Kango’s regular customers. Kango’s drivers and caregivers all have previous childcare experience. They are Trustline-certified, fingerprinted, background checked, DMV record-checked and screened in person, leading Kango to win “Best Uber for Kids” in San Francisco magazine's 2017 Best of San Francisco awards. In addition, Kango is the only service insured to drive children of any age, providing car seats, as well as booster seats. It is also the only kids’ ridesharing service that performs both same-day and pre-scheduled rides, seven days a week, and allows families to meet a driver or sitter beforehand if desired.
  
  The Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid is America’s first-ever hybrid minivan, and along with its eco-friendly electric range and best-in-class MPG, comes equipped with 100-plus safety and security features, giving parents peace of mind. In addition to safety, the Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid is kid-friendly, providing the largest dual touchscreens of any family car, offering built-in games and apps with the available Uconnect Theater.
  
  The Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivans are also perfect for multi-family carpools – a common scenario, as Kango drivers can do multiple pickups and/or multiple drop-offs in the same ride. For example, Kango can pick up neighboring kids and bring them to school in the morning, or pick up several kids from an afterschool activity and drop them off at their respective homes.
  
  “Overall, Kango is so excited to be working with Chrysler to delight our customers with a best-in-class ride experience, and to advance the future of safe, environmentally friendly transportation for families,” Schaer said.
  
  
  Kango was founded by CEO and Silicon Valley startup veteran Sara Schaer and her business partner and Kango CTO Kaliyuga Sivakumar, to meet the critical need for safe on-demand and scheduled rides and childcare services for busy families. Since launching its Rides and Care service in late 2015, Kango has provided thousands of rides for kids of all ages, parents and nannies included, across six counties in the San Francisco Bay area. The service has over 250 screened drivers.
  
  For more information, please visit Kango on the web at www.kangoapp.co. As seen in Inc, Forbes, TechCrunch, Paste, PYMNTS, First for Women, Working Mother, Huffington Post, Tech.Co, US News & World Report and more.
  
  

The new Chrysler Pacifica reinvents the minivan segment with an unprecedented level of functionality, versatility, technology and bold styling. Re-engineered from the ground up on an all-new platform, the Pacifica delivers class-leading gasoline and hybrid powertrains to the minivan segment. Equipped with more than 100 available safety and security features, the Uconnect Theater rear seat entertainment system, and a full array of comfort and convenience technologies, the Chrysler Pacifica is a no-compromises minivan ideally suited for today's families and has earned its spot as the most awarded minivan of 2016 and 2017.

The Pacifica Hybrid takes this revolutionary vehicle a step further with its class-exclusive, innovative hybrid powertrain. It’s the first electrified vehicle in the minivan segment and achieves 84 miles per gallon equivalent (MPGe) in electric-only mode and 33 miles of all-electric range. The Pacifica Hybrid has all the same great features available in the gas model along with the Uconnect Theater rear seat entertainment system. 

Whether it is the family-room-on-wheels functionality of the all-new Chrysler Pacifica minivan, the groundbreaking, bold design of the Chrysler 300, or the simple elegance and extraordinary driving experience of the Chrysler 200, Chrysler brand vehicles reward the passion, creativity and sense of accomplishment of its owners. Beyond just exceptionally designed vehicles, the Chrysler brand has incorporated thoughtful features into all of its products, such as the innovative center console with pass through storage and sliding cup holders in the Chrysler 200, the industry-exclusive Stow 'n Go seating and storage system on the Chrysler Pacifica and the fuel-saving Fuel Saver Technology in the Chrysler 300.

INFORMATION PROVIDED BY FCA

BRUCE HUBBARD

AUTO ADVISOR GROUP

GM BUYS LIDAR TO SPEED UP AUTONOMOUS CAR DEVELOPMENT

DETROIT – General Motors Co announced it acquired LIDAR technology company Strobe, Inc. As part of the deal, Strobe’s engineering talent joins GM’s Cruise Automation team to define and develop next-generation LIDAR solutions for self-driving vehicles.

“Strobe’s LIDAR technology will significantly improve the cost and capabilities of our vehicles so that we can more quickly accomplish our mission to deploy driverless vehicles at scale,” said Kyle Vogt, Founder and CEO, Cruise Automation.

LIDAR uses light to create high-resolution images that provide a more accurate view of the world than cameras or radar alone. As self-driving technology continues to evolve, LIDAR’s accuracy will play a critical role in its deployment.

“The successful deployment of self-driving vehicles will be highly dependent on the availability of LIDAR sensors,” said Julie Schoenfeld, Founder and CEO, Strobe, Inc. “Strobe’s deep engineering talent and technology backed by numerous patents will play a significant role in helping GM and Cruise bring these vehicles to market sooner than many think.”

Recently Cruise Automation revealed the world’s first mass-producible car designed with the redundancy and safety requirements necessary to operate without a driver. The vehicle will join Cruise’s testing fleets in San Francisco, metropolitan Phoenix and Detroit.  

Cruise Automation introduced its third-gen automated vehicle. The new vehicles will be part of its San Francisco-based test fleet.

The company’s developed a new microchip Lidar system would significantly enhance the capabilities of the self-driving cars GM was developing, Vogt stated to the media. 

Kyle Vogt founder and CEO of Cruise said they are reducing the entire sensor down to a single chip, the system cuts the cost on its self-driving cars by 99%, he said.  The technology provided not just a distance measurement for an object on the road – vehicles, people and objects – but also measured that object’s velocity.

 “Strobe’s LIDAR technology will significantly improve the cost and capabilities of our vehicles so that we can more quickly accomplish our mission to deploy driverless vehicles at scale,” said Vogt.

GM purchased Cruise Automaker for $1 billion last year and then basically turned over the keys to its automated vehicle development to the San Francisco-company. Earlier this year, GM said it planned to spend $600 million in 2017 on self-driving vehicles. That number may apply to 2018 too.

Lidar is what an autonomous vehicle uses to “see” when it’s on the road. It uses light to create high-resolution images that provide a more accurate view of the world than cameras or radar alone. As self-driving technology continues to evolve, Lidar’s accuracy will play a critical role in its deployment.

“The successful deployment of self-driving vehicles will be highly dependent on the availability of Lidar sensors,” said Julie Schoenfeld, founder and CEO, Strobe, Inc. “Strobe’s deep engineering talent and technology backed by numerous patents will play a significant role in helping GM and Cruise bring these vehicles to market sooner than many think.”

Cruise Automation revealed the world’s first mass-producible car designed with the redundancy and safety requirements necessary to operate without a driver. The vehicle will join Cruise’s testing fleets in San Francisco, metropolitan Phoenix and Detroit.

GM’S CFO Chuck Stevens announced it plans to launch its first semi-autonomous system, the Cadillac Super Drive, in the 2018 Cadillac CT6. GM’s first fully self-driving car coming to market will be a version of the electric Chevrolet Bolt EV.

Cruise has recently introduced its third generation of fully autonomous factory-built test vehicles. Kyle Vogt described the third-generation vehicle as “the world’s first mass-producible car designed to operate without a driver. This isn’t just a concept design, it’s assembled in a high-volume assembly plant in Orion Township, Michigan, out of Detroit capable of producing 100,000’s of vehicles per year,” he said.

BRUCE HUBBARD

BONNIE LYNCH

AUTO ADVISOR GROUP

Volvo will double the size of its plant in Charleston

Volvo Cars, the premium carmaker will build the next generation of the XC90 large premium SUV will be built in its new manufacturing plant in Charleston, South Carolina from 2021. This takes Volvo Cars’ total investment in its US manufacturing operations to over USD 1.1 billion and will raise the total of new jobs created at the Charleston site to nearly 4,000.

The South Carolina plant will start production of the next generation S60 in the fall of 2018. The addition of the next generation XC90 from 2021 as well as a planned new office campus will create 1,900 new jobs, which come on top of the 2,000 new employees currently being hired.

“The continued expansion of our plant in South Carolina is another significant commitment to the US market,” said Håkan Samuelsson, president and chief executive. “The plant in Charleston will serve both the US and international markets and forms a strong foundation for our future growth in the U.S. and globally.”

The expansion will bring the total cost of the Charleston complex to $1.1 billion, about $520 million more than was originally announced. And it will now employ nearly 4,000 hourly and salaried workers.

The expansion “underscores our commitment to the United States,” said Lex Kerssemakers, who served as CEO of Volvo Cars North America until Sept. 15. He is now heading European operations.

The South Carolina plant is one of three that have been added to Volvo’s global manufacturing footprint since the Swedish carmaker was purchased from Ford Motor Co. by China’s Zhejiang Geely Holding Group in 2010. The other two are in China.

They are proving critical to Volvo’s rapid growth, the automaker setting three consecutive annual sales records and on target for a fourth this year. Last year, it saw an increase of 6.2%, volume jumping to 534,332. It is targeting 800,000 by the end of the decade.

Volvo will double the size of its plant in Charleston, South Carolina, to build the XC90.

The XC90 has been crucial for Volvo’s growth in the United States. The U.S. is the single-largest market for the XC90, noted Kerssemakers, reflecting the dramatic shift from sedans and coupes to the SUVs, CUVs, vans and pickups that now account for nearly two-thirds of overall new vehicle sales.

Demand for the XC90 has been so strong worldwide that Volvo has been struggling with supply shortages. As a result, the brand’s overall sales in the American market actually dipped 7% for the first eight months of 2017, though they increased 4.1% in August.

The Charleston plant – which will grow to a capacity of 150,000 vehicles annually when the expansion is completed – will serve as the sole worldwide source for the S60 sedan. It will be one of at least two production sources for the next-generation XC90, and will service both the U.S. and other markets, Volvo officials said.

Volvo has already replaced the six and eight-cylinder engines that normally defined vehicles in the luxury segment. They use an “all-four” strategy. That includes its most sporty T8 Twin Engine, a plug-in hybrid making 400 horsepower.

With all new models introduced in 2018 and beyond, Volvo announced in June, it will only use “electrified” powertrains. These include not only plug-ins like the T8 but all-electric models and those using more conventional hybrid drivetrains. Kerssemakers has stated to the media that a majority of the “electrified” vehicles will be hybrids.

The originally planned portion of the new Volvo plant will open just outside of Charleston late next year. It is scheduled to employ 2,000, with another 1,910 jobs to be added when the second phase goes into operation by 2021.

Volvo Cars announced in May 2015 that its first ever manufacturing plant in the United States would be located just outside Charleston in South Carolina. The decision to choose South Carolina was taken as a result of its easy access to international ports and infrastructure, a well-trained labour force, an attractive investment environment and experience in the high tech manufacturing sector. 

The business logic behind the decision to build the next generation XC90 in South Carolina is compelling. The U.S. is the largest single market for the XC90, although a considerable amount of XC90 volume will be exported from the Port of Charleston. Total U.S. production capacity at the plant will rise to 150,000 vehicles annually.

The XC90 has played an important role in Volvo Cars’ sales revival in the United States and around the globe. The widely acclaimed large SUV, launched in 2014, is the most awarded luxury SUV of the century and helped Volvo Cars recover its sales in the United States from a low of 56,000 units sold in 2014 to almost 83,000 units in 2016.

Their announcement on further expansion in South Carolina allows Volvo Cars to take another step toward the company’s ‘build where you sell’ global manufacturing strategy. It currently operates two manufacturing plants in Europe, as well as two factories in China. A third Chinese plant is currently under construction.

In addition to expanding the manufacturing plant Volvo Cars will further develop its neighboring office campus at the Charleston site. A new office building will be constructed to house up to 300 staff from R&D, purchasing, quality as well as Volvo’s Southern Regional Sales team.

“We’re excited to add a second car to our first American factory and we continue to be impressed by the entrepreneurial spirit in South Carolina,” said Lex Kerssemakers, President and CEO of Volvo Car USA. “Our business in the U.S. has been undergoing a transformation over the past two years and this is an important next step for our development here.”

PRESS AND MEDIA RELEASES FROM VOLVO AND OTHERS USED FOR THIS ARTICLE. 

BRUCE HUBBARD

BRADLEY HUBBARD

BONNIE LYNCH

AUTO ADVISOR GROUP

BYD EXPANDS ELECTRIC BUS MANUFACTURING FACILITY

BYD COACH AND BUS

UNVEILS NORTH AMERICA’S LARGEST ELECTRIC BUS FACTORY WITH BIPARTISAN GROUP OF SENIOR OFFICIALS.

BYD TO HIRE HUNDREDS OF LOCAL WORKERS FOR ITS EXPANDED COACH AND BUS

PRODUCTION LINE, BUILD UP TO 1,500 ELECTRIC BUSES ANNUALLY

BYD,the world’s largest manufacturer of electric

vehicles, today unveiled its expanded battery electric bus manufacturing facility North America’s largest

with bipartisan support from elected officials including House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy(RBakersfield);

California Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon; Congress members Steve Knight(R Palmdale) and Nanette Diaz Barragan (D San Pedro); 2018 California Gubernatorial Candidate and former mayor of Los Angeles Antonio Villaraigosa; California Assemblyman Tom Lackey (RLancaster); Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger; City of Lancaster Mayor .Rex Parris and BYD leadership including Chairman Wang Chuanfu, President Stella Li

And Senior Vice President Macy Neshati. BYD’s nearly  800 employees in California were also on hand to

help commemorate the new expansion for the Coach and Bus factory.

The grand opening celebration commemorated the addition of a new wing to the current BYD Coach and Bus space, bringing the total manufacturing facility to nearly 450,000 sq. ft. This expansion nearly quadruples BYD’s facility from its initial 2013 footprint. The growth of BYD Coach and Busreflects a rapid transition to electric transportation and will allow BYD to build up to 1,500 battery electric buses annually. Since BYD

established its U.S. electric bus manufacturing capabilities in Los Angeles County, the company has created nearly 800 full time jobs throughout the state.

This manufacturing facility expansion will enable BYD to hire up to 1,200 full time workers at top production line capacity.

This manufacturing facility is powered 100% by renewable energy, which is provided by the City of Lancaster’s Energy Company, Lancaster Choice

Energy.

BYD is the undisputed leader as North America’s largest electric bus manufacturer, having delivered

137 electric buses in the U.S. and Canada, including

more than 75 buses delivered in 2017. BYD is currently producing an additional 300 buses based on current

customer orders and has options for more than 300 additional electric bus purchases.

BYD’s buses operate in transit agencies, universities and airports across North America,

with more than 40 customers including LA Metro, Los Angeles Department of Transportation, Stanford University, UCLA, UC San Francisco, UC Irvine, Anaheim Resort Transportation, Long Beach Transit, Denver Regional Transportation District, City of Albuquerque, SolTrans, SunLine Transit, Link Transit,

COMO Connect, Antelope Valley Transit Authority,

And many others.

 

The BYD Coach and Bus facility also supports R&D and assembly for BYD’s battery electric medium and heavy duty trucks, including delivery, drayage, refuse, and yard trucks, among other product lines. These trucks incorporate the same proven core components that are used in BYD’s commercialized buses and vehicles with several hundred million service proven miles.

By the end of 2017, BYD will have delivered 70 all

electric trucks to 15 customers in North America, with orders for more than 140 trucks to date.

The bipartisan group of officials on hand for the factory expansion unveiling praised BYD for its local job creation and impact on the community as an employer that provides a pathway to career growthin the burgeoning clean energy sector. “Our community has a strong tradition of innovation, and I am proud that BYD has chosen to expand their facility here in Lancaster,” said Congressman Kevin McCarthy.

"As BYD continues to develop cutting edge technology that helps transform the transportation industry here in the Antelope Valley and around the country, this investment will help create jobs in our community, keep Lancaster on the forefront of technological advancement, and put emission free vehicles on our streets. I would also like to recognize Lancaster Mayor Rex Parris for his hard work and dedication to making our community a place where companies like BYD can grow and thrive.”

“The expanded BYD Coach and Bus manufacturing facility represents a fact I have stated for many years: that policies that address climate change and building a strong economy

are not mutually exclusive,” said California Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon.

“California’s progressive leadership on strong air quality policies is helping drive this economic growth by creating demand for zero emission buses and trucks. California and the rest of the nation needs more companies like BYD that take opportunities presented by policy and turn it in to job creation. I will continue to fight to ensure that improving California’s air can also create economic opportunity and thank BYD for demonstrating that this is possible.”

 “Congratulations to BYD on the expansion of its Coach and Bus factory, which in turn will be creating hundreds of new, full time jobs in the Antelope Valley,” said Congressman Steve Knight.

“BYD is a company that has brought good paying

manufacturing jobs back to California while other companies are choosing to export those jobs to other states and countries. We need more companies like BYD in California that are training and building up a workforce of skilled individuals that are prepared for the manufacturing jobs of the future. We are lucky to have them in our community!”

“As cochair of the United for Climate and Environmental Justice Task Force, I’m a champion for renewable energy. It’s good for the economy and the environment. It is great to see Lancaster partner with sustainable energy industries in order to provide cleaner greener transportation that will benefit the quality of our air, while creating local jobs,” said Congresswoman Nanette Diaz Barragán.

“I am proud to represent BYD because it is

a company that is helping to drive economic

growth for the Antelope Valley,” said California AssemblymanTom Lackey.

“BYD is showing the rest of the country and the world that the Antelope Valley is a great place to build a successful business around the future of transportation. Today’s groundbreaking represents a huge opportunity for our residents to get mortgage paying jobs in a growing industry.”

“BYD employs hundreds of local workers and is helping to build our state of the art clean air transportation fleet,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger. “This is an exciting day as BYD expands its footprint in the Antelope Valley, boosting our local economy and creating hundreds more well paying jobs for local families.”

“The City of Lancaster is proud to have paired our progressive efforts with an equally bold and visionary partner Build Your Dreams,” said Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris.

“Our many successful achievements together, have contributed to the City’s steady rise as a frontrunner in the alternative energy arena. This expansion of BYD’s electric vehicle manufacturing facility is a true testament to the commitment of BYD to the southern California region; California; and indeed this nation. We are proud to be home to this great company.”

BYD’s products form a complete clean energy ecosystem. BYD’s photovoltaic panels capture power from the sun, store it in BYD’s energy storage systems, and then use it in BYD’s electric vehicles without ever touching fossil fuels. This model has made BYD a global clean technology powerhouse that is changing what’s possible in electrified transportation. In each of its 33 global locations, BYD promotes economic development by creating good local jobs, training its work force, and ensuring that local communities have access to affordable clean energy. "We congratulate BYD on their facility expansion, representing the next phase of significant investment in the City of Lancaster,” said

Madeline Janis, executive director of Jobs to Move America.

“As BYD increases its workforce, under our Community Benefits Agreement, we look forward to creating living wage jobs and developing a robust pre apprenticeship training program together, especially for women, communities of color, reentry workers, and veterans."

BYD is the world’s largest manufacturer of electric vehicles and is an industry pioneer and

leader in electrified transportation, including: automobiles, buses, medium and heavy duty trucks,

SkyRail, forklifts, energy storage, and solar power generation. BYD is the global leader in battery electric buses, with more than 27,000 buses in service around the world.

With more than 220,000 employees and $15 billion in annual revenue, BYD drives innovation by reinvesting billions of dollars into R&D every year.

For more information, visit www.byd.com

BRUCE HUBBARD

BRADLEY HUBBARD

BONNIE LYNCH

AUTO ADVISOR GROUP

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HONDA SHUTTERS SAYAMA PLANT TO PREPARE FOR EV PRODUCTION IN 2022

Honda CEO Takahiro Hachigo said the company would focus its manufacturing efforts on electric vehicles.

Japanese automaker Honda is shuttering its Sayama plant, north of Tokyo, in 2022 as the company shifts its focus to the production of electric vehicles.

CEO Takahiro Hachigo outlined the company’s plans today saying that due to sluggish auto sales in Japan, the company needed to reduce production levels and refocus on EV manufacturing to meet the ever-toughening demands of different markets around the globe.

The closure of Sayama pushes the company toward its goal of cutting capacity by 24% in Japan. It will shift the plant’s output to its site in nearby Yorii, as well as most of the employees. The Sayama plant was capable of producing more than 250,000 vehicles annually, as is the Yorii site.

The overall vehicle output will drop to 810,000 units from 1.06 million, Reuters reported.

“As we focus more on adopting electrification and other new technologies, we want to hone our vehicle manufacturing expertise in Japan and expand it globally,” CEO Takahiro Hachigo told a press conference.

The Yorii plant will also act as the center of electric vehicle production for the automaker, which has been slow to take on EVs as a critical part of its portfolio. However, it now wants two-thirds of its production to be electric vehicles by 2030.

“Japan needs to take a leading position in manufacturing, including in vehicle electrification,” said Hachigo. “We will consider how to apply these processes to other plants globally.”

Yorii will be positioned as a global center for electrified vehicle production. It will serve as a template for overseas manufacturing as Honda launches more hybrids and EVs overseas.

A longtime EV skeptic, Honda announced in June that it had established an Electric Vehicle Development Division to create EVs based on dedicated all-electric platforms. That is a departure from Honda’s current stance.

To date, Japan’s third-largest carmaker mostly has dabbled with small-volume cars for regulatory compliance while rivals such as Nissan rolled out mass-market nameplates, and others, such as Ford and Volkswagen, announced big plans for electrification across their lineups.

Toyota Motor Corp., another EV latecomer, joined the bandwagon last year with its own EV development division. And last week, it announced plans for a joint venture with Mazda Motor Corp. and supplier Denso Corp. to create an electric architecture.

Recent concept vehicles show what Honda has planned.

At the Frankfurt auto show last month, the company debuted its hatchback-style Urban EV Concept that previews a compact city runabout planned for sale in Europe in 2019.

At the Tokyo show later this month, Honda will unveil the Sports EV Concept, a small, rear-slung performance EV based off the same platform.

Honda also is developing an electric car for release in China next year.

Tale of two plants

Honda opened its cutting-edge Yorii factory in 2013 with capacity for 250,000 vehicles.

It makes the Vezel, known overseas as the HR-V subcompact crossover, as well as the Fit subcompact hatchback and derivatives including the Grace sedan and Shuttle wagon.

Yorii also makes the Civic for the domestic market.

Honda unveiled plans to build Yorii in 2006, and the plant was supposed to be churning out cars by 2010. But the global financial crisis upended that plan.

Construction started in 2007. Then the project was delayed twice as the economy fell apart and the rising yen challenged the wisdom of building a factory in high-cost Japan.

Former Honda President Takanobu Ito resurrected the project in 2010.

Yorii’s lines boast some of the latest production methods, with the company positioning it as a kind of petri dish for pioneering new manufacturing technologies.

At the opening of the Yorii plant, Honda said its more efficient manufacturing technologies slashed 30 percent off assembly costs, compared with the older Sayama plant.

Sayama, which has capacity for 250,000 vehicles a year, focuses on larger vehicles such as the Odyssey minivan, Accord Hybrid sedan, Jade wagon, Freed minivan and the Acura RLX.

Sayama’s vehicles will be shifted to Yorii or Honda’s Suzuka assembly plant in central Japan.

As part of the production shuffle, Honda will take full ownership of its minicar subsidiary Yachiyo Industry Co. It makes the sporty S660 minicar alongside commercial minivehicles.

 “Honda will largely evolve its production operations and product development,” Hachigo said.

“The automobile industry is undergoing an unprecedented and significant turning point in history. That’s why Honda is undertaking new technologies such as electrification and intelligence technologies.”

Like its primary rival, Toyota, Honda has been a late adopter of EVs. However, it has been making up for lost time. Last month at the Frankfurt auto show, the maker unveiled its Urban EV Concept, a small city car expected to go on sale in Europe in 2019.

DATA RECEIVED FROM HONDA AND NEWS BUREAUS.

WHEN WE LEARN MORE AND CAN VERIFY FUTURE EV

PRODUCTION WILL REPORT FINDINGS.

BRUCE HUBBARD

AUTO ADVISOR GROUP

LEXUS SKIPS PLUG-INS FOR FUEL CELL AND EV VEHICLES

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New fuel-cell and full-EV strategy will see Lexus skip plug-in hybrids to cut CO2, says boss

LEXUS will move straight from Hybrids to fuel cell cars and full EVs over the next few years, according to Europe boss Alain Uyttenhoven.

The strategy will see Lexus first launch a hydrogen-powered luxury saloon based on the LF-FC Concept in 2020, before moving towards smaller electric cars and SUVs (as previewed by the LF-SA Concept) later down the line.

Uyttenhoven told Auto Express at the Frankfurt Motor Show: “We do not need to have plug-in hybrid vehicles. It’s a loophole in the market. We will reach the [CO2] targets without them.”

As legislation becomes more stringent, Lexus would need to progress beyond its range of hybrids, Uyttenhoven admitted. “Soon we will have to reach 75g/km,” he told us. “At that time pure hybrids will not be sufficient. The two things we can do are introduce plug-ins or introduce electric.”

First the Japanese brand will invest in high-end luxury vehicles like hydrogen or electric versions of the LS Saloon and LC coupe, as the cost of installing the tech on smaller models is currently too prohibitive. 

Uyttenhoven insisted that for Lexus to really make money using electrified powertrains, the technology would need to filter down to mainstream models like the CT hatchback and NX mid-sized SUV in the future. “In Europe, the more successful electric car sales are at the high end,” Uyttenhoven told us. “But in the premium market, 50 per cent of cars are sold below 40,000 Euros. If it’s more than that, how will people afford it?”

When asked whether Lexus’s first pure-electric venture could be a small, premium EV, Uyttenhoven explained: “It could be. A lot of people who have reached a certain level of wealth like to have a small premium car more than a bigger, more mainstream brand of car.”

BRUCE HUBBARD

AUTO ADVISOR GROUP