Honda's three auto assembly plants in China have ground to a halt after workers at a parts-maker went on strike demanding better wages, the Japanese automaker said Thursday, according to AP. The strike comes after Honda Motor Co.'s announcement earlier this week of an aggressive plan to boost production in China, raising annual production capacity at Guangqi Honda Automobile Co. from 360,000 units to 480,000 vehicles by the latter half of 2011. Talks were under way at the Honda parts-maker in the southern province of Guangdong, but it was still unclear when production of transmissions and engine parts at the plant can resume, Tokyo-based Honda said. Also halted besides Guangqi Honda, which makes the Accord sedan and Odyssey minivan, are two other Honda plants, Dongfeng Honda and Honda Automobile China. The strike at the parts-maker, which employs 1,900 people, began last week, and has continued off and on into this week, Honda said, while declining to disclose details of the wages or the negotiations. Japanese automakers have their eyes on emerging markets like China to maintain growth as the Japanese market has grown saturated. Honda has said its overall China production capacity will grow to 830,000 vehicles by the latter half of 2012. «Without the gearbox, we cannot move on with installation. Production has been halted since Wednesday and probably will last until Friday,» a Honda spokesman in China, Yang Guang, told Kyodo News.
