Honda Motor Co. plans to begin producing Odyssey minivans in China in 2003 because it anticipates continued growth in the automobile market there, company officials said Tuesday.

The Odyssey will be assembled at a plant in Guangzhou run by Guangzhou Honda Automobile Co., a 50-50 joint venture with a local firm, where the company plans to make 50,000 Accords this year. , they said.

Honda, which is enjoying booming sales of its minivans and subcompacts in the Japanese market, is looking to expand into China, where car purchases by individuals only account for 40 percent of total sales.