(Yicai Global) Jan. 31 -- Japanese auto giant Honda Motor plans to speed up its full-scale electrification strategy by integrating its research and development subsidiary with its manufacturing arm in China.

Honda Motor China Technology and Honda Engineering China will merge on April 1 so as to roll Honda China's production strategy and technology planning into one entity and lay a solid foundation for going electric in the future, Honda China said on its website yesterday.

Honda Motor China Technology, set up in 2013, is responsible for vehicle R&D as well as the product, procurement and manufacturing strategic planning so as to promote the Tokyo-based firm’s localization in China. While Honda Engineering, founded in 2004, is mainly engaged in production technology R&D as well as the design and making of manufacturing equipment.

After the merger, Honda Engineering will be taken over by the Guangzhou branch of Honda Motor China, it added.

Honda China is accelerating electrification and plans to offer 10 pure-electric models of its Honda e:N series by 2027, it said. The carmaker’s China joint ventures, GAC Honda and Dongfeng Honda, have both started building NEV plants.

Honda is falling behind China’s EV makers. The firm’s China sales plunged 12.1 percent last year from the year before to 1.37 million units, only 16.8 percent of which were electric cars.

Editor: Kim Taylor