Automakers watchful of Hurricane Patricia as it approaches Mexico

(Reuters) - Hurricane Patricia, one of the most powerful storms in history, has not yet affected Mexico auto production, companies with factories near the Pacific coast said on Friday, but they are keeping close tabs on its progress. A Honda Motor Co <7267.T> spokesman in Mexico said the company's plant in the state of Jalisco is operating normally, and that the company will react to the storm as it advances. The storm is not expected to be as strong by the time it reaches the area of the plant on Saturday, the spokesman, based in Mexico, said. Toyota Motor Corp <7203.T> has a plant in Tijuana, well away from where the hurricane is expected to hit, and a spokesman for the company said the plant was operating normally on Friday. Hurricane Patricia, a Category 5 storm, was barrelling toward Mexico’s Pacific coast and expected to make landfall on Friday afternoon. (Reporting by Gabriel Stargardter in MEXICO CITY; Editing by Meredith Mazzilli)