Honda announced another expansion to its US car building business, with a new Ohio plant set to go online in 2029.
Over the past several months, you’ve seen announcements of automakers onshoring further American manufacturing capacity. The latest to do so is Honda, which just announced a $3 billion project to further build out its manufacturing capacity near Columbus, Ohio. As part of that deal, the automaker can build up to 240,000 additional vehicles a year, while it also plans to further bolster its existing engine and transmission plants to support a larger car assembly footprint.
The main facility marked above sits between two plants Honda is already operating in Ohio. The company has been running the Marysville plant since 1982, while the East Liberty plant came along seven years later. So, while Honda already has significant capacity here, 2029 will mark one of the largest expansions of that capacity in decades.
Honda announced the investment will create another 2,000 jobs, while bolstering its overall US automotive output to 1.3 million vehicles each year. This new plant comes as the automaker invests in its American operations across the board — not just in Ohio, but in Alabama and Georgia as well.
Now, Honda did initially plan to site its ‘EV Hub’ in Ohio. That strategy has shifted dramatically over the past year or so, as Honda pulled away from such a heavy investment toward fully electric vehicles toward a hybrid-first approach. As such, all this latest investment supports its goals to build out next-generation hybrid systems, and push out more new vehicles that will have those hybrid systems onboard. The new strategy does hedge potential futures a bit more broadly, however, as Honda also said the new capacity could build internal combustion vehicles, hybrids or fully electric vehicles.
Currently, Honda builds the Accord at its Marysville plant, while it builds the CR-V and Acura MDX at the East Liberty plant.
At this point in time, it is not 100% clear which vehicles Honda will start manufacturing from this new Ohio plant. Honda just said it will be “one of the most advanced in the world”, and provide the automaker the flexibility it needs to meet increasing — and more importantly, constantly shifting — demand.
The total $3 billion investment also includes money earmarked for Honda’s Lincoln, Alabama Auto/Engine plant, which will facilitate a new hybrid V6 system, as well as to facilitate infrastructure updates on the line that currently produces the Passport. Honda will invest in its Anna Engine plant in Ohio to produce a new four-cylinder engine for its smaller hybrid vehicles, and it will also put money into its Ohio and Georgia transmission plants.
We will inevitably get more details on the new auto manufacturing plant and updates on Honda’s other retooling efforts over the next couple years.
