Honda CEO Pledges Quality Over Quantity

The company aims to make better cars and improve production.
Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg

Last fall, Honda celebrated the North American launch of its redesigned 2016 Civic sedan at its Greensburg, Ind., plant, where it had invested $97 million in upgrades over three years. Six days before the event, an engine on one of the new Civics seized up during quality-control checks.

By early January, three more engines had failed in the field and another had broken down at a Honda facility north of Toronto. More reports emerged of engines seizing up, resulting in a fire and one alleged injury, according to filings by the company to U.S. regulators. By month’s end, Honda had to recall 53,000 cars.