Honda’s new EV production revolution begins with $1 billion in Ohio
A Honda sedan moves down the assembly line on Jan. 28, 2025 at the automaker’s assembly plant in Marysville, Ohio.
Michael Wayland / CNBC
MARYSVILLE, Ohio — Honda Motor is launching the next generation of its manufacturing in a historically unusual place for the 75-year-old Japanese automaker: Ohio.
Honda is in the midst of completing more than $1 billion in new investments — upped Wednesday from an initially announced $700 million — in the state this year. Upgrades most notably include installing six “giga presses,” which were made well-known by Tesla, and a new “cell” manufacturing system for its upcoming electric vehicle battery cases.
The company’s emerging EV hub in Ohio, including a separate $3.5 billion battery plant, will be the flagship for Honda’s global manufacturing operations. That includes its Marysville Auto Plant being capable of producing traditional vehicles, hybrids and EVs on the same assembly line, officials said during a daylong tour of the operations.
“The Honda EV hub in Ohio is establishing the global standard for EV production for people, for technology and for processes,” said Mike Fischer, North American lead for Honda’s battery-electric vehicle projects. “As we expand EV production regionally and globally, this is the footprint and the characteristic performance that will be used.”
Honda displays half of one of its new battery packs for electric vehicles on Jan. 28, 2025 at its engine and components plant in Anna, Ohio.
Michael Wayland / CNBC
Typically such important manufacturing changes would begin in Honda’s home country of Japan and then get rolled out to facilities in the U.S. and elsewhere, according to company officials.
The Ohio investments were initially announced in October 2022 as part of the Biden administration’s push to on-shore manufacturing. They remain important amid threats of potential increases in tariffs for imported products such as automobiles by President Donald Trump.
Honda produced more than 1 million vehicles at five U.S. assembly plants in 2024. About 64% percent were sold in the U.S., while the remainder were exported. It has one assembly plant in Mexico.
Once completed, Honda will be able to produce roughly 220,000 vehicles annually at its Marysville plant, located in central Ohio outside of Columbus. The 4 million-square-foot facility currently produces several Honda and Acura vehicles, which are expected to be joined later this year by an all-electric Acura RSX crossover — the first EV produced by Honda.
Honda 0 Saloon & Honda 0 SUV prototypes
Honda
The Japanese automaker was late to invest in EVs compared with other automakers. It currently sells two all-electric crossovers — Honda Prologue and Acura ZDX — in the U.S., but those vehicles are produced by General Motors in Mexico.
The new Acura crossover will be followed by the Honda 0 SUV and Honda 0 Saloon EV prototypes the company debuted last month at CES in Las Vegas.
The aluminum battery packs for the new EVs will be produced…
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