Media

Apr 15, 2016 - MARYSVILLE, Ohio
Clement D'Souza, who led the creation of the innovative new Performance Manufacturing Center in Marysville, Ohio, the exclusive global production facility for the 2017 Acura NSX supercar, is the latest Honda associate featured in the What Makes a Honda is Who Makes a Honda video series.
A mechanical engineer and 26-year veteran at Honda of America Mfg., Inc., D'Souza was tapped as the engineering project leader in 2012 to lead the creation of a new manufacturing facility to produce the next generation Acura NSX, the only supercar manufactured in America. The result is the state-of-the-art Performance Manufacturing Center where serial production of the NSX will begin this spring.
D'Souza is also a world-class field hockey player who once aspired to play professionally in his native India. He competed as a member of the U.S. team in the 2016 FIH Masters World Cup in Canberra, Australia, March 31-April 9.
D'Souza brought his passion for innovation and his unique blend of engineering talent and commitment to teamwork to the challenge of creating a manufacturing facility that is pioneering new approaches to small-volume, high-performance vehicle manufacturing.
D'Souza speaks to the challenging spirit of Honda as the secret to his enduring commitment to the company. "You can produce something in a new way," he said. "The ability to dream and try something that nobody else has, I think that's the reason I've been with Honda 26 years."
The Performance Manufacturing Center is home to master technicians who initiated 12 patent-pending technologies and other novel methods of producing a made-to-order supercar. It utilizes new approaches to vehicle construction, painting, assembly and quality confirmation, with the perfect blend of human craftsmanship and precision automation, to achieve a new level of quality and craftsmanship in the supercar realm.
D'Souza emphasizes teamwork as crucial to the project's success. "The number one thing for me is the teamwork, relying on your teammates and the team around you, working off the same rhythm and the same passion to a common goal," he said.
The What Makes a Honda is Who Makes a Honda video series focuses on Honda's commitment to The Power of Dreams, a global theme that encourages Honda associates to conceive ideas that will create new value for customers and society and show determination to bring those dreams to life. In addition, the video series spotlights the varied careers within Honda and the inspiring efforts of Honda associates.
D'Souza's What Makes a Honda is Who Makes a Honda video is accessible at Honda's YouTube channel at https://goo.gl/cxkB3Y
About Honda
Honda seeks to be a company that society wants to exist, creating products and technologies that improve the lives of people. Honda is also committed to making positive contributions to the communities where it does business, to socially responsible business practices, and to the promotion of diversity and inclusion in its workforce.
More than 39,000 Honda associates in North America design, develop, manufacture, market and support the servicing of Honda and Acura automobiles, Honda powersports products and Honda power equipment products.
Honda began building automobiles in America in Marysville, Ohio in 1982, and now operates 18 manufacturing plants across North America, including eight auto plants that produced more than 99 percent of the Honda and Acura automobiles the company sold in America in 2015, using domestic and globally sourced parts. Honda also operates 14 R&D facilities in the region, including a major automobile and powersports R&D center in Raymond, Ohio, a power equipment R&D center in North Carolina and three design centers in Southern California.
About the Acura NSX
Created to bring a new sports experience to the supercar segment, the next-generation Acura NSX challenges conventional beliefs about supercars, with cutting-edge and world-first technologies. Much as the first generation NSX did a quarter century ago, the 2017 NSX breaks the mold through a first-of-its-kind Sport Hybrid Super Handling All-Wheel Drive™ power unit, a multi-material body structure, advanced aerodynamics and a cockpit that supports performance driving on every level without sacrificing comfort. The 2017 Acura NSX is the only supercar designed, developed and manufactured in the U.S. with production exclusively at the Performance Manufacturing Center in Marysville, Ohio with domestic and globally sourced parts.

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