HONDA TO BUILD NEW CAL DESIGN CENTER
TORRANCE - 03/30/06 - Honda has broken ground on its new $15 million Acura Design Center, the latest expansion of the auto maker's product design and development capabilities in North America.
The Acura Design Center is scheduled to open in summer 2007 and "will play a critical role in the development of new concepts and designs that will lead directly to future Acura products developed in North America," the company said in a statement.
The facility will be located adjacent to Honda R&D America's existing Los Angeles Center, which will continue to research and design future Honda products.
Separately, the company is opening a new advanced design studio in Pasadena that will work to advance new future design concepts, giving Honda four R&D facilities in California.
The groundbreaking ceremony was conducted by Honda on the 20th anniversary of the creation of the Acura model, the world's first Japanese luxury nameplate and the first Japanese luxury automaker to design, develop and manufacture its vehicles in North America, beginning with the 1997 Acura CL coupe.
Today, nearly two-thirds of all Acura vehicles sold in America are researched, designed, developed and manufactured exclusively in North America, including the Acura TL sedan and Acura MDX luxury sport-utility vehicle.
Honda R&D Americas began its operations in California in 1975 with local market research activities and has steadily grown its capabilities over the past 30 years to include all aspects of new vehicle design and development, the company said.
Recent development efforts include products like the Acura MDX and TL sedan, Honda Ridgeline, Pilot and Element, and the all-new Civic Coupe and Civic Si.
With the addition of the Acura Design Center and the advanced design studio, the company will operate 10 major facilities in North America with more than 1,300 designers, engineers and support personnel engaged in the development of Honda and Acura passenger cars, motorcycles and power equipment products for North America and global markets.
Honda's main centers of operation include the Los Angeles Center responsible for market research, concept development and styling design; the Ohio Center responsible for complete product development, testing and support of North American supplier and manufacturing operations; and road test facilities in Southern California's Mojave Desert area and Ohio.
Power equipment R&D is conducted at the company's facility in North Carolina.
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