Civic 2018 now made in Japan?

[EXT2018]

Hi everyone, I purchased my 2018 4 door EXT back in November. The dealership had a few EXTs and then after they were sold, they were out of stock for a few months. A friend of mine wanted to buy the same car and we couldn't find a dealer that had the 4 door EXT. Yesterday my friend tells me that they are in stock now at 2 dealers and all of them at both places have a VIN that begins with the letter J. I thought all the EXTs for the US market were made in America. Did they stop making them in America and now they are made in Japan? Anyone know what happened? Why the shift in production?

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[dc2turbo]

Autotrader shows a bunch of EX-T in FL.

All of them are showing US or J made. Probably just had a small batch made and shipping over here to speed up production rate

 

[360glitch]

Autotrader shows a bunch of EX-T in FL.

All of them are showing US or J made. Probably just had a small batch made and shipping over here to speed up production rate

Interesting find.

 

[zroger73]

From Reuters on January 12, 2017...

"Allocating manufacturing capacity for the Civic in Japan may also enable Honda to free up production space in the United States, where the market for sedans is shrinking in favour of SUVs...

The carmaker will also consider producing Civics in Japan for U.S. export.

...given waning U.S. sedan demand, Honda has said it would consider shuffling its production portfolio in favour of its SUV models in the United States."

https://www.reuters.com/article/hon...sedan-to-japan-in-branding-push-idUSL5N1F11R4

Where 10G Civics have been made:

US - some sedans
Canada - all Si's, all coupes, and some sedans
UK - all hatchbacks
Japan - some sedans

 

[megawatt]

Just picked up a 2018 sport touring hatch. Assembled in UK, CVT transmission from Japan, and the engine from Taiwan. Yes Taiwan, I had no idea until I read that.

Vin starts with SHH....

 

[latole]

Our 2 Civic LX Sedan 2016 and 2018 are made in Canada

 

[EXT2018]

Thanks for all the replies. Just curious, do you guys believe the quality of the car would be better if it was made in Japan than another country? Civic to Civic, if you had the option, would you choose the Japanese car over the US car?

 

[latole]

Made in Canada have a very good reputation.

Honda's plant in Alliston, Ontario is the "lead plant" for the all-new Civic, determining the assembly processes and systems that will be taught to facilities worldwide

Of all the cars made here, 75 per cent will go to the U.S., while 23 per cent will remain in Canada, and the remainder will travel to Latin America. While American buyers will get Civics made either in Ontario or Ohio, all Civics sold in Canada are made in Canada.

http://www.autofocus.ca/news-events/features/hondas-canadian-civic-plant-sets-the-world-standard

 

[IDriveACivic]

Made in Canada have a very good reputation.

Honda's plant in Alliston, Ontario is the "lead plant" for the all-new Civic, determining the assembly processes and systems that will be taught to facilities worldwide

Of all the cars made here, 75 per cent will go to the U.S., while 23 per cent will remain in Canada, and the remainder will travel to Latin America. While American buyers will get Civics made either in Ontario or Ohio, all Civics sold in Canada are made in Canada.

http://www.autofocus.ca/news-events/features/hondas-canadian-civic-plant-sets-the-world-standard

Giddy to hear that this car purchase also fueled the national economy.

 

[zroger73]

Thanks for all the replies. Just curious, do you guys believe the quality of the car would be better if it was made in Japan than another country? Civic to Civic, if you had the option, would you choose the Japanese car over the US car?

There are many variables and the answers can be as political in nature as they are technical.

Generally speaking... The vehicle is already designed and engineered. Once that happens, it can be assembled anywhere using the same parts that come from all over the world. In theory, it shouldn't matter where a vehicle is assembled as long as it is done so according to procedure with the same attention to detail. This is where some variables can come into play. Historically speaking, Canadian and Japanese workers take more pride in their work and follow instructions better. Americans tend to be more lazy and many take less pride in their work on the assembly line and are there "just to draw a paycheck". Places like China and Mexico sometimes don't maintain equipment as well as they should.

Naturally, this isn't always the case. Great products can and do come out of the US. Apple sells some of the most reliable, well-crafted consumer electronics products of any manufacturer...and most of them are made in China - the same place where cheap, plastic junk is made. So, it's really a crap shoot. I had a Buick that was built in Canada and it was junk. I had a Ridgeline that was made in Canada and it was awesome. I had three other Ridgelines that were made in the US and they weren't put together as well as the Canadian-buit model. My Civic Si was made in Canada and it's been impressively solid. Honda puts forth a great deal of effort to remove the human variable as much as possible so that their products are assembled correctly and consistently. Personally, I would have a slight preference for a Japanese-built model followed by a Canadian-built model followed by an American-built model. However, I'd take an American-built Honda over a Canadian-built GM or a Mexican-built Ford any day.

If the VIN or Monroney label didn't tell you where a Civic was made, you'd likely never be able to tell.

 

[hondanoob87]

Interesting

 

[Gruber]

It doesn't seem like the local price of steel is a major factor in picking the localization of car assembly plants. The increase of the price of a car due to tariffs on steel and aluminum would amount to about as much as what the dealers charge for the side strips or spraying the seats with 3M Scotchgard . They could keep prices the same if they performed these valuable services gratis.

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