Honda’s Greensburg plant in Indiana has shipped its first units of the Civic sedan to Mexico as part of a wider export strategy that also includes markets in Latin America as well as the Caribbean and US territories in Puerto Rico, Guam and Saipan. The first 270 units will arrive in Mexico on October 1st.
Honda spokesman Ed Miller outlined the route of the initial shipment: "A central Indiana local moved units from Greensburg to Cincinnati. Norfolk Southern moved them from Cincinnati to Chicago. Then BNSF moved the units from Chicago to El Paso. Finally FXE (Ferrocarril Mexicano) moved the vehicles from El Paso to the final destination in Mexico."
All shipments out of Greensburg are made by rail, with movements for South America and the Caribbean handled by Port Everglades (Aruba, Bahamas, Costa Rica, Curacao, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama), Port of Jacksonville (Colombia), and Port of New Jersey (Chile and Peru).
Up until last week the Greensburg plant had only made vehicles for the US, which remains its principal market, but with vehicles added for these new regions the plant has increased to full single-shift production.
The Greensburg plant, which opened in November 2008, makes the Civic sedan and the gas-powered Civic GX sedan with an annual capacity for 200,000 vehicles.
“Manufacturing products for export broadens the experiences of our associates, contributes positively to America's and Indiana's international trade, and shows our commitment to the continued growth and evolution of our business in Indiana," said Rick Schostek, vice president, Honda Manufacturing of Indiana.
