Honda CR-V will go into production starting this fall at the assembly plant in Guadalajara, Mexico. Honda plans to build 50,000 CR-Vs in the plant in 2008.

"We are switching that plant entirely over to the CR-V," says David Iida, a Honda spokesman in Detroit. "This move is based on consumer demand for these small crossovers."

Honda CR-V is powered by a 2.0-litre i-VTEC engine with a maximum power of 166 hp at 6200 rpm and 161 lbs-ft of torque at 4200 rpm. It has a top speed of 116 mph and makes the 0 to 60 mph sprint in 10.3 seconds.

About 25,000 of the CR-Vs to be produced in Mexico will be sold there, while the other half will be made for the United States and Latin America, Iida says.