India to Host World’s Largest Honda Motorcycle Plant by 2027
Honda is set to add another production line at its Vithalapur facility, boosting production capacity up by another 650,000 units
Honda is gearing up for another serious production push in India, announcing plans to add a fourth production line to its Vithalapur facility in Gujarat.
The move will see the site become the Japanese brand’s biggest motorcycle assembly plant anywhere in the world.
The expansion, due for completion in 2027, will add an extra 650,000 units to the plant’s output capacity, pushing the total to a staggering 2.61 million units per year. Not bad for a facility that only fired up its first engine back in 2016.
This new production line will focus on 125cc-class machines, the kind of models that dominate commuter traffic across India and other Asian markets. Honda’s aiming squarely at the meat of the market with this one, and they’re throwing serious money at it too: 9.2 billion Rupees (around £83 million), making it a sizable investment, even by Honda's terms.
It’s part of a bigger push from Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI), the company’s local arm that’s now operating four plants across the country. Together, they already crank out over 6 million bikes a year, and with this move, that figure’s set to jump to nearly 7 million by 2027.
The Vithalapur plant has seen a steady climb since it opened. Starting with a modest 600,000 capacity in 2016, a second line soon doubled that. A third line came online in 2024, nudging capacity close to 2 million. Now, with this fourth line, the site’s stepping into global spotlight territory.
And it’s not just machines getting built that is a boost for India, Honda says the expansion will create around 1,800 new jobs in the region. That’s a big win for local employment and a clear sign that India’s importance in Honda’s global strategy is only growing.
With India crossing the 70 million mark in cumulative Honda bike production earlier this year, and six million in 2024, it’s clear that this market isn’t just big, it’s massive. And with the new capacity boost, it’s only getting bigger.
So while many of us might know Honda best for the Fireblade or the Africa Twin, don’t forget that the humble 125 is doing some serious heavy lifting behind the scenes.
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Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
