Honda plans to double car sales in boost for UK plant The Japanese company - which employs 3,400 people in Britain - has set itself a target of selling more than 6m vehicles in 2017 as it plans for ambitious growth amid rising demand from emerging markets. "We have now reached the stage of going on the offensive," said Takanobu Ito, Honda's president and chief executive. In a bullish statement he said countries including India and China would help to drive growth. The company sold 3.1m vehicles in the financial year ending March 2012. Mr Ito said Honda would strengthen its offering of cheaper models to appeal to emerging market customers, and said the company's engineers were committed to speeding up model development. "The remodelled Fit subcompact, which will be rolled out globally starting next year and sold as the Jazz in some regions will also help boost growth," Mr Ito said. Honda has stated a firm commitment to keep building cars in the UK. It took on 500 new staff in Swindon in April, partly to help deliver the new Civic family hatchback. Japanese car companies are entering a new phase after the production disruptions caused by natural disasters in Japan and Thailand, which froze the supply of car parts.