MARYSVILLE — Mass production of the 2023 Acura Integra sport compact started Thursday morning at the Marysville Auto Plant (MAP), making the plant the first location in the U.S. to build an Integra model.
Besides the Integra, the Acura lineup has four other models — the TLX sport sedan, the RDX and MDX sport-utility vehicles, and the electrified NSX Type S — all built in Ohio. The Integra’s engine is built at the Anna Engine Plant in Shelby County. The Anna Engine Plant began engine production in 1985 and is considered Honda’s largest engine plant in the world.
“The fact that we build all Acura vehicles in Ohio speaks to our experienced workforce and highlights the confidence Honda has in our associates to build the quality cars and light trucks our customers love,” Arjun Jayaraman, the plant lead at the MAP, said in a press release.
The MAP celebrated the milestone Thursday with a car show outside of the lobby showcasing four generations of the Integra model from 1995, 1998, 2000, and 2023. The 1995 and 2000 Integra models on display are owned by Integra associates Zachary Ebert and Nick Amato who have a passion for the Integra model and have put countless hours in the restoration of their Integras. Kevin Fausnaugh, the engineering product leader for the Integra who has been working at the MAP for over 24 years, was present at the event and also spoke to the reason why Ohio was chosen to manufacture the new Integra.
“We have over 40 years of manufacturing experience here in Ohio, so I think they wanted to leverage that experience as well as this car we built on the same line as the Acura TLX,” Fausnaugh said. “We understand the quality requirements and our customer’s expectations for Acura products.”
Like many other manufacturing industries, the associates working on the new Integra were forced to move their operations online due to COVID-19. Instead of a team of engineers traveling to Japan to meet with a development team — as would have been the routine practice — the meetings transitioned to video calls.
“We’re a very hands-on company,” Fausnaugh said. “One of our philosophies is always go to the spot to understand the problem, understand the concern, so you’re not getting secondhand information. So when COVID hit a couple years ago, we couldn’t have some of the interaction with the development team from Japan that we normally would have.”
While the online format differed from the previous tried-and-true methods, it led to new technologies and processes that can be used easily and confidently by associates in the future.
The MAP has been producing automobiles since 1982 and was the first Honda auto plant in Ohio. Honda now has five plants in Ohio and employs more than 11,000 associates.
