TOKYO (dpa-AFX) - Japanese automaker Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (HMC) is looking at narrowing down model variations of certain cars and engines, in an effort to ensure quality of its vehicles, according to reports.
Takanobu Ito, Honda's chief executive officer, reportedly said the reductions would start to come in three or four years.
The company could keep one model while getting rid of a less popular sister model that shares many product characteristics but has some different features. The company declined to name specific products that could be affected with the plan, the reports said.
The move is a part of Honda's efforts to improve its vehicle development process and overall operations after a spate of recalls.
Reduction by a fifth is the target, executives reportedly said, though they offered varying views on what exactly they were planning to cut. Yoshiharu Yamamoto, who heads Honda's research and development, said Honda could reduce the model variations of vehicles by about a fifth. Koichi Fukuo, Honda's senior managing officer who oversees vehicle quality, said the burden of engineers should be cut by a fifth.
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