Honda Eyes Eighth North American Factory to Meet Surging Demand

Honda is planning to expand its manufacturing footprint in North America, with CEO Toshihiro Mibe signaling interest in building an eighth factory on the continent. The move comes as the region continues to be the automaker’s most profitable market, accounting for roughly 40 percent of global sales last year.

“I want to increase the number of sales in North America a lot,” Mibe told the Yomiuri Shinbun newspaper. ” The new facility would help Honda keep pace with growing customer appetite while reducing reliance on imports.

Elsewhere in the industry, Genesis is quietly exploring smaller models for Europe. The Hyundai luxury brand’s managing director for the region, Peter Kronschnabl, confirmed the company is “evaluating” the idea but stopped short of announcing any firm plans. Meanwhile, Germany saw a historic shift in June: electric vehicles outsold all other new-car categories for the first time, with 84,057 EVs registered.

Traditional hybrids followed at 83,315, while gas-powered cars lagged at 60,796 units.

S. locations with EV charging after opening two new travel centers in Massachusetts and Florida and upgrading existing sites. Aston Martin, facing liquidity concerns, declined to deny reports that it has been in talks with lenders including BlackRock-owned HPS Investment Partners.

And Scout Motors has hired Todd Johnson, a former GM engineer who worked on the GMC Hummer EV and Chevrolet Silverado EV, as its vice president of manufacturing.