A Honda worker works on the CR-V line on the automaker’s plant in Alliston, Ontario. (AP)
OTTAWA — Canada’s Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland mentioned on Thursday she met with Honda Motor representatives about finding a possible $13.7 billion electrical automobile plant within the nation.
“I had a meeting with Honda and it’s a company that has been a very important investor in Canada,” Freeland instructed reporters in Toronto, including that different authorities officers additionally had conferences with the Japanese automaker.
“That’s a very important relationship, and our work with them is ongoing,” Freeland mentioned, with out specifying when the conferences happened.
Freeland added that there had been numerous conferences between Honda and authorities officers in numerous departments.
On Sunday, Japan’s Nikkei information group reported that Honda is taking a look at a number of potential websites for the plant, together with subsequent to an current vehicle manufacturing facility in Alliston, Ontario.
The report mentioned Honda expects to decide by the top of 2024 and convey the brand new facility on-line as early as 2028.
Canada has wooed firms concerned in all ranges of the EV provide chain to safeguard the way forward for its manufacturing heartland in Ontario because the world seeks to chop carbon emissions.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau final 12 months mentioned that Canada was in search of extra “targeted” investments after the federal government gave hefty subsidies to Volkswagen and Stellantis-LG Vitality Answer for his or her deliberate battery gigafactories.
Honda, Japan’s second-biggest automobile maker, on Tuesday at CES 2024 introduced plans to launch a brand new electrical automobile collection from 2026, because it performs catch-up with international rivals within the shift to battery-powered automobiles.
Honda has been sluggish to step up gross sales of electrical automobiles. The automaker, with associate LG Vitality Answer , in 2022 introduced Ohio as the location of a deliberate $4.4 billion three way partnership battery plant.