(May 31, 2011) Honda reported today that it will add 1,000 jobs at its Greenburg, Ind., plant by the end of the year by adding a second shift.

The plant makes the  Honda Civic sedan and the Honda Civic GX natural gas vehicle. Civics are also made at plants in Ohio and Ontario. Demand has been rising for the Civic and other small cars as gasoline prices hit $4 a gallon in the U.S.

A plant spokeperson said the factory's workforce would double by additing a second shift. 

The March 11 tsunami that struck Japan and the widespread power outages that followed interrupted the flow of auto parts to Honda's U.S. plants. Last month, Honda cut production to about half the normal level because of falling parts supplies. It warned dealers of model shortages and said full production might not resume until the end of the year.

But Honda said last week that the situation in Japan is improving and plants could ramp up on a plant-by-plant basis, except for those, like the Greensburg plan, that make the new Civic compact. Sipes said the Greensburg plant hopes to begin increasing production this fall.onths, Sipes said. She said the plant should be operating at full capacity by the end of the year.

Honda currently can produce about 100,000 cars per year at the Greensburg plant. The second shift will double that capacity to 200,000 vehicles per year.