MARYSVILLE, Ohio – In 2016, local Honda operations introduced new products, further showcasing their ability to provide quality, cost effective vehicles for customers worldwide.
In May, the Performance Manufacturing Center (PMC) in Marysville, Ohio, began mass production of the next generation Acura NSX, the only supercar made in America. The PMC was designed to blend human craftsmanship and advanced technologies to assure superior build quality and precision crafted performance.
In nearby Anna, Ohio, at the company’s largest engine plant, master builders hand assemble the NSX’s 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged V-6 engine. Each NSX engine is machine balanced, bench tested and broken in to the equivalent of 150 miles of service to ensure that every vehicle is track ready upon customer delivery. The Acura NSX was named Road & Track’s 2017 Performance Car of the Year, besting eight of the world’s finest sports cars by exhibiting a potent mix of performance, style and emotion.
“Every aspect of the new NSX—acceleration, braking and cornering—is a precise, new experience,” said Jon Ikeda, vice president and general manager of Acura. “Having the NSX recognized by Road & Track’s esteemed group of evaluators is not only a great honor for the car, but a testament to the skill, determination and challenging spirit of our team—we are immensely proud.” In June, Columbus was awarded a $40 million Smart City grant. The funding will go toward creating a more connected vehicle environment.
“Columbus is an ideal place to explore new ideas and new solutions to improve the future of mobility and we stand in full support of the Smart Columbus Plan,” said Rick Schostek, executive vice president of Honda North America Inc. “We believe this is a strong plan with strong partners that will advance transportation and the many social and economic advantages that excellent transportation can bring to a community.”
Also in June, more than 16,000 Honda volunteers participated in the inaugural Honda Week of Service. Volunteers performed a variety of community services that highlight the important work of local organizations throughout North America. In 2016, Honda celebrated 40 years of Accord. With sales of more than 12.7 million units since its debut in 1976, Accord is America’s most popular, best-selling car over the last four decades.
Coinciding with this celebration, the Accord won the Car and Driver 10Best award for an unprecedented 31st time. The Accord has earned the 10Best recognition more times than any other car over the 35-year history of the award. This best-selling car has been produced in America at Honda’s Marysville, Ohio, auto plant since 1982.
In October, Honda announced a $53 million investment for the construction of two buildings on its Central Ohio campus. The 38,000-square-foot Ohio Data Center will house key information technologies for Honda, increasing secure data storage capabilities across North America. The 98,000-square-foot North American Quality Center will consolidate operations for several Honda organizations. It will be home to Honda associates focused on product quality in the marketplace, increasing the company’s capability to study and respond to customer feedback more quickly and efficiently.
Most recently, Honda unveiled the all-new 2017 CR-V at the East Liberty Auto Plant (ELP) in East Liberty, Ohio. As the global lead plant for this fifth-generation CR-V, ELP is not only the first plant in the world to launch the new CR-V, but has also developed the processes and technologies that will form the manufacturing base for CR-V production at 10 Honda plants globally.
“With a first-ever available turbocharged engine that is also built right here in Ohio we believe the CR-V will continue to set the standard for compact SUVs,” said Tim Myers, ELP plant manager.
Honda has been producing automobiles in America for 34 years and currently operates 19 major manufacturing facilities in North America. Honda of America Mfg., Inc. employs 10,000 Ohioans at four facilities. Since 1982, Honda plants in Ohio have produced 17+ million automobiles, more than 21 million engines, and over 17 million transmissions.
