The project included a new weld area, a new paint line to enhance quality and color variations, along with new buildings and expansions to improve production efficiency. The plant also added automated guided carriers and lift assist devices to support quality, logistics, safety and ergonomic improvements for associates. “Over the last 20 years, Honda in South Carolina has evolved from a small ATV manufacturing plant, to a world-class team that can produce a complex model like the Honda Talon sport side-by-side,” added Gary Mabrey, president of HSC. “This expansion and innovation was made possible through the efforts of the incredible team of associates who are dedicated to meeting the needs of our customers.”
HONDA SHOWS ITS TALONS
Drawing upon countless hours of collaborative development with Honda R&D Americas, Talon brings a new level of off-road excitement, precision, performance and quality pushing the envelope of what is possible in a sport side-byside, Mabrey adds.
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“The Talon is truly a standout side-by-side vehicle and I’m proud that associates at Honda of South Carolina are part of its development as well as its future,” said Boderman. “The sport side-by-side market is showing significant growth and it’s exciting to have the new Honda Talon for our dealers and our customers.”
“We have seen more than 600% growth of side-by-side sales over the course of the last five years,” said Boderman from a podium in the middle of recently expanded HSC facility. “The multi-purpose segment which we entered first is the largest side-by-side category, but the sport category is the fastest growing. We intend to really stir things up with the new Talon line-up!”
Aware that a single offering would be a compromise for some conditions and driving styles, Honda developed two versions of the Talon. Each works across a broad array of conditions but specializes in a different area of the off-road spectrum. The two vehicles share a common frame and engine but have wheelbase and suspension configurations that are designed to shine in different applications. Both models function at a high level in a wide variety of terrain types, bringing a new level of control, style and refinement to a sport side-by-side market that is hungry for innovation, reliability and an improved driving experience.
1000cc Sport UTV Enters Production skilled hawk hides its talons according to a Japanese proverb, “but I can tell you Honda won’t be hiding these Talons,” exclaimed Chuck Boderman, Vice President, Powersports Division American Honda. The occasion was Honda’s start of mass production for the allnew Talon sport side-by-side. Dealernews joined associates at Honda of South Carolina Mfg., Inc. (HSC) for two much anticipated machines: Honda Talon 1000X and 1000R.
Walking through the extra wide doors at HSC you immediately get a feel for the scope and magnitude of this operation. The 1 millionth Rubicon sits unassumingly inside to the left of the door… so is the 2 millionth unit. Ditto for the first production Pioneer. In an effort to meet growing demand for side-by-side vehicles, HSC completed a $45 million expansion project in 2018 that added 250 new jobs and 115,000 square feet of space.
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