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Honda U.S. production tops Japan

Automaker built more vehicles here than in its homeland

Christine Tierney / The Detroit News

Honda Motor Co. marked a milestone during the April-June quarter, building more vehicles in the United States than in Japan.

Honda assembled 236,819 vehicles in the United States and 236,559 in Japan during its fiscal first quarter, according to a report issued this week.

Honda's U.S.-based officials couldn't say whether it was the first time that the company's U.S. output exceeded production in Japan for a full quarter.

For the first six months of 2010, Honda's Japanese output of 491,024 vehicles surpassed the U.S. total of 480,913 vehicles.

But officials said that Honda, the first Japanese automaker to build a U.S. factory, has been increasing its local output. "As part of Honda's long-standing commitment to build Honda and Acura products close to our customers, we have steadily deepened our manufacturing roots in the United States and North America," said spokesman David Iida.

The proportion of Honda vehicles sold in the United States that are produced in North America reached 90 percent in the first six months of 2010.

In all of North America, Honda's output totaled 322,260 vehicles in the first quarter of the fiscal year begun on April 1.