Today Honda Canada (Headquarters: Scarborough, Ontario; President: Shigeru Takagi) announced that their automobile manufacturing division, Honda of Canada Manufacturing (HCM: operating site in Alliston, Ontario; Operations Manager: Noriyuki Koide) held a ceremony to celebrate the first of their new range of Odyssey minivans designed specifically for the North American market rolling off the newly constructed second production line at the HCM factory.

Several VIPs attended the ceremony, including Canadian Federal Industry Minister John Manley, Ontario state premier Mike Harris and the Japanese ambassador to Canada, Katsuhisa Uchida. Presiding over the ceremony, Honda Motor Vice-President (and President of American Honda) Koichi Amemiya commented that, with the minivan segment now so well established within the North American market, the new Odyssey with its low-emission (LEV) engine and complete range of unique Honda features represented the company's best response to the wishes of customers for a high-quality, environment-friendly minivan. He also thanked the Canadian federal government, state government of Ontario and all Honda's local suppliers for the various kinds of support granted in the project including construction of the factory and commissioning of the new minivan production site.

The new site housing the second production line is located adjacent to HCM's existing manufacturing plant, which has an annual production capacity of 170,000 vehicles. Once it is operating at full capacity, the second line is expected to have an annual production capacity of 120,000 vehicles and employ 1,200 workers. In its first year, production of 60,000 units of the new Odyssey is planned, all of them destined for the North American market. In anticipation of the commencement of local production of this new model, exports of the original Odyssey from Japan have already ceased. The new investment in plant and equipment totaled C$300 million, bringing the cumulative total investment in HCM to over C$1.1 billion.

Since it began operations in November 1986, HCM has produced over 1.2 million Honda Civics for the Canadian and US markets. Honda's plans call for continued investment in its local manufacturing facilities in North America, with the goal of boosting the combined annual production capacity of HCM and its counterpart in the United States, Honda of America Manufacturing (HAM), to 1.01 million vehicles by 2001.

Outline: Honda Canada Inc.

• Established: March 1969
• President: Shigeru Takagi
• Headquarters: Scarborough, Ontario
• Paid-in capital: C$226.09 million
• Capital investment shares: Honda Motor: 50.14%; American Honda: 49.86%
• No. of employees: 3,300 (2,900 at HCM)

• Established: November 1986
• Operations Manager: Noriyuki Koide
• Location of manufacturing plant: Alliston, Ontario
• Total production site area: 1.82 million sq. meters
• Annual production capacity: 290,000 vehicles (first line 170,000; second line 120,000)

• Length: 5,110 mm
• Width: 1,920 mm
• Height: 1,740 mm
• Fueled weight: 1,920 kg (LX model)
• Engine type: SOHC V6 6-cylinder 24-valve VTEC
• Displacement: 3,500 cc
• Maximum output *: 210 PS/5,200 rpm (SAE NET)
• Maximum torque *: 31.6 kgm/4,300 rpm
• Exhaust emissions: passes California state LEV (Low Emission Vehicle) standards in the light truck category
• No. of passengers (incl. driver): 7
• Main features: dual sliding doors (EX model features the first-ever electrically operated dual sliding doors in a minivan); convertible second row which allow the bucket seats to slide together to form a bench seat; third "magic" seat that can be folded down beneath the floor; separately adjustable dual air conditioning system; dual SRS airbags; ABS; cruise control; remote-control electric side mirrors; tinted windows.

Odyssey EX (N. American version)