Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad today launched a RM170 million manufacturing plant by Japanese carmaker Honda, which aims to double sales in Malaysia this year and expand its regional presence.

The plant in Malaysia's southern Malacca state is Honda's third in the Association of Southeast Asian nations (Asean) after Thailand and the Philippines, and its 20th in the world.

Honda Motor Co Ltd. senior managing director Katsuro Suzuki said the company opened a new plant in Taiwan earlier this month and would launch another factory in Indonesia in March as well as raise production in Thailand.

The regional expansion was part of Honda's strategy to boost efficiency and tap benefits of the Asean Free Trade Area (Afta), he said at the launching ceremony.

"We are well o­n the way to putting in place the region's most competitive and most comprehensive automobile production network. This new factory in Malaysia will act as an important focal point for Honda in Asean," he said.