Honda Builds 20 Millionth Automobile in the U.S.

MARYSVILLE, Ohio, March 20, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The 10 millionth U.S.-built Honda Accord rolled off the assembly line today at Honda's first U.S. auto plant in Marysville, Ohio, as all four Honda auto plants in America celebrated the cumulative production of 20 million automobiles in the U.S.  Honda also marked the achievement at two engine and two transmission plants that build the powertrains used in Honda's U.S.-built cars and trucks.

The Marysville Auto Plant is the historic site of the first Honda Accord produced in America on Nov. 1, 1982, and the first Japanese auto plant to begin production of automobiles in the United States. Since then, Honda has established automobile manufacturing operations in East Liberty, Ohio, Lincoln, Ala., and Greensburg, Ind.

Those plants today manufacture 11 different models, including four passenger cars and seven light trucks.  A fifth U.S. plant, the Performance Manufacturing Center, is under construction in Marysville, Ohio, and next year will become the exclusive global production location for the next generation Acura NSX.

"We are deeply aware that our ability to reach this milestone results from the trust that 20 million customers have placed in our products, and we appreciate their support over the past three decades," said Hidenobu Iwata, president and CEO of Honda of America Mfg. and head of Honda's North American manufacturing. "We also value the commitment made by tens of thousands of associates at Honda and our hundreds of suppliers in the U.S. who build products of the highest quality for our customers."

Honda's U.S. plants produced a record 1,309,917 automobiles in 2013, an increase of 7.4 percent from the previous annual mark set in 2012. Honda is supported by a network of 533 suppliers in the U.S., with purchasing of parts and components last year exceeding $23 billion.

Associates at the Marysville Auto Plant have been building the Accord since production began nearly 32 years ago, and over that time have produced the vast majority of Accords for the U.S. and other markets. Today, the plant produces the Accord Sedan, Coupe and the Accord Hybrid. Accord models also were produced for four years at the East Liberty Auto Plant and two years at Honda Manufacturing of Alabama.

Honda's four U.S. auto plants are supported by engine manufacturing in Lincoln, Ala. and Anna, Ohio, and the production of automatic transmissions in Russells Point, Ohio, and Tallapoosa, Ga.  These plants have produced 23.77 million automobile engines and 18.64 million transmissions in the United States. In 2013, nearly 95 percent of the Honda and Acura automobiles sold in the U.S. were produced in North America.

Over the past three years, Honda has invested approximately $1.6 billion in its U.S. auto plants to expand production and implement new technologies in products and manufacturing systems.

About Honda's U.S. Auto Plants

The Honda of America Mfg. Marysville Auto Plant shattered its previous all-time high by producing 492,409 vehicles last year, up 12 percent from 2012, while the East Liberty Auto Plant produced 242,363 light trucks last year. This resulted in record production of 734,772 Ohio-made vehicles at the two plants in 2013. This includes 69,680 vehicles for export to more than 40 countries.

Honda Manufacturing of Alabama produced 333,556 vehicles along with their six-cylinder engines in 2013, just shy of its all-time high set in 2012, due to a major model change for the all-new 2014 Acura MDX. The Alabama plant produced 20,466 vehicles for export to 49 countries in 2013.

Honda Manufacturing of Indiana produced a record 241,589 automobiles last year, up 21 percent from 2012. The Indiana plant started auto production in 2008 and added a second shift in 2011. It produced 18,559 vehicles for export last year.

Honda has the capacity to produce 1.92 million cars and light trucks in North America at eight auto plants, including in Canada and Mexico.  Production recently began of the 2015 Honda Fit at a new auto plant in Celaya, Mexico. With the new Celaya plant, Honda now has the capability to build virtually every product in its lineup in North America, from sub-compact models to light trucks.

About Honda in the United States

Honda began automobile production in the U.S. in 1982. It now operates nine major manufacturing facilities in the United States, producing a wide range of Honda and Acura automobiles, automobile engines and transmissions, Honda all-terrain vehicles, and power equipment products such as lawn mowers, mini-tillers and general purpose engines, using domestic and globally sourced parts.

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SOURCE Honda