Honda to close Sayama plant in Japan as part of EV shift: Report 

As part of its commitment towards electric mobility, Honda Motor Company is set to shutter its erstwhile ‘mother factory’ located at Sayama in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. This will provide the opportunity for the company to retool its manufacturing operations, with an all-electric lineup planned by 2040. 

Honda will be shutting down operations at its Sayama plant to focus on making EVs [Image: Reuters]

Nikkei Asia reports that the Japanese automotive stalwart held a closing ceremony at the plant in December 2021, marking the end of production of finished cars. A handful of Honda executives led by President Toshihiro Mibe attended the event, which was livestreamed to allow workers to watch. “Like you, I will miss it all,” Mibe said. “We will continue making automobiles that meet the needs of consumers at home and abroad.”

Opened in 1964, the Sayama plant was responsible for cars that shaped Honda’s image as an automaker, including the Civic and the Accord, Honda’s flagship sedan. In its heyday, the facility once served as Honda’s ‘mother factory’ that instructed the company’s other manufacturing sites on best practices in production and technologies.     

It was once the carmaker's 'mother factory' that turned out models such as the Civic and Accord [Image: Kotaro Abe/Nikkei Asia]

For now, the Sayama plant will continue to make parts but is scheduled to completely close within two to three years. Honda has yet to disclose future plans regarding the factory following its shutdown. The carmaker’s Yorii facility, where the Honda e EV is assembled, will take over operations after that, with many of the Sayama plant’s employees transferred to other Honda sites.

Along with Sayama's peak output of 250,000 cars a year, Honda’s total domestic production capacity once reached as high as 1.3 million vehicles in the early 2000s. The company’s radical restructuring in its shift towards electrics has reduced this number to a little over 800,000 cars annually.

The Honda e EV is manufactured at Honda's Yorii plant, which will take over the Sayama factory's operations

Other cost-cutting measures include a new vehicle development system and shutting down its Formula One racing program, after winning its first World Championship in three decades. Given the impending closure of Honda's Sayama facility, it might only be a matter of time before all Honda models sold in our market will no longer have VTEC power as their selling point. 

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