The next-generation Honda Civic’s manufacturing will be led from North America.

Honda is investing $857 million over three years into three facilities in Alliston, Ontario, Canada, with new technologies and processes.

This comes as the company said these plants will play the role of global lead plant for the next-generation of the Honda Civic (current generation shown in picture).

Of note, the Civic has been the best-selling passenger car in Canada for the past 16 consecutive years.

The new investment brings Honda’s total Canadian manufacturing investments to over $3.9 billion since 1986, when Honda became the first Japanese auto maker to build a manufacturing facility in Canada.

Honda of Canada Mfg. (HCM) is partnering with the Government of Ontario on this program, with the province contributing 10 percent of the total investment.

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As the lead global plant, Honda explained HCM will not only be the first plant in the world to launch the next generation Civic into mass production, but will be responsible for developing the manufacturing processes and tooling trials that will form the manufacturing base at all Honda plants globally that will build the next Civic model.

“We are deeply proud to be the lead plant for the next generation of Honda Civic, a designation that reflects the incredible efforts of Honda associates over the past quarter century to produce products of the highest quality for our customers in Canada and around the world,” said Jerry Chenkin, President and CEO of Honda Canada Inc. “This marks the first time a Honda plant outside Japan has been designated as a ‘global lead plant’, which reflects the knowledge and experience of our Canadian associates.”

In addition to supporting the global lead plant activities, the company stated these investments will enable Honda to invest in innovative technologies and processes to modernize all three of its plants – two auto assembly plants and one engine plant.

“Through this investment in Ontario, Honda is tapping into our biggest strength — our highly skilled workforce,” said Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne. “Our government is hard at work to secure more partnerships like this, partnerships that keep good jobs here in Ontario and that build our economy up so that people have more opportunity and security.”

HCM said it has the capacity to produce 390,000 Civic and CR-V models annually for the Canadian and North America markets, as well as for export; HCM also produces 240,000 four-cylinder engines annually.