240,000 Vehicles a Year: Honda Announces Plans to Build a $3 Billion Ohio Factory to Lead Hybrid Expansion

A third Ohio vehicle plant

Honda’s new assembly plant will be built on land between its East Liberty and Marysville factories. It will be the automaker’s third vehicle assembly plant in Ohio, alongside its Anna Engine Plant and transmission facility in Russells Point.

Honda expects production to begin in 2029. The planned annual capacity is 240,000 vehicles, which would raise the company’s U.S. production capacity to around 1.3 million vehicles per year. Honda says the project will create more than 2,000 jobs.

The company has not specified which models the factory will produce. It says the facility will be able to build gas-powered vehicles, hybrids and full electric vehicles.

Hybrid production expands

Honda is also investing in its Lincoln, Alabama, factory to raise production capacity and add engine production for a new V-6 hybrid powertrain. The plant is also expected to gain flexibility to build multiple models across its two vehicle production lines. At the Anna Engine Plant in Ohio, Honda is undertaking a major retooling to produce a next-generation Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder engine for future compact and midsize models.

Transmission facilities get upgrades

Honda plans to convert an existing transmission production line at its Ohio facility into a second line for next-generation hybrid systems for compact and midsize vehicles. The site will also lead production of a hybrid system for larger vehicles.

That larger-vehicle system will also be produced at Honda’s transmission factory in Georgia. Honda is expected to provide more information about the vehicles using its new hybrid systems over the next couple of years.