Honda Motor Co. has begun shipping Civic sedans built at its new Indiana assembly plant [in the U.S.] to Latin America.
The Japanese automaker said the first Civics destined for exports were shipped last week.
The Greensburg, Ind., plant went into production last fall and has rolled out more than 50,000 Civics for the U.S. market. The model became a top seller in the United States during the recent "cash for clunkers" program.
"The United States remains the primary market for our Indiana-built Civics," said Rick Schostek, vice president at Honda Manufacturing of Indiana. But "manufacturing products for export broadens the experiences of our associates, (and) contributes positively to America's and Indiana's international trade."
Honda said in a statement that it will ship Civic sedans built in Indiana to Mexico and 22 Latin American and Caribbean nations and U.S. territories.
Honda previously produced vehicles in the United States for sale in other regions, shipping Accords built in Marysville, Ohio, to Taiwan at one point. Close to 80 percent of the vehicles Honda sells in the United States are built in the region, the company said.
