Honda Motor Co. has announced that the production of the new 50cc Giorno moped has begun in its Kumamoto Plant (Ozu Town). The model used to be made in China, but Honda decided to onshore its production because of the weak yen. The company plans to implement another phase of onshoring next spring when it brings the production of two more models back from Vietnam. With this move, the Kumamoto Plant is on tap to make 70,000 mopeds a year, bumping up Honda’s domestic production of mopeds to about 80%. To accommodate the uptick, a dormant production line will be brought back online and about 100 new employees will be hired. Nishinippon Shimbun 9/15
