Summary
Honda plans to invest $3 billion in a new Ohio auto plant with annual capacity for 240,000 vehicles, alongside upgrades at facilities in Ohio, Alabama and Georgia to expand hybrid production. The new plant is expected to begin production in 2029, pending final government approvals.
Honda plans to invest $3 billion in a new auto plant in central Ohio and expand hybrid-vehicle and powertrain production at facilities in Ohio, Alabama and Georgia. The company says the new plant will have annual capacity for 240,000 vehicles and create more than 2,000 jobs. Production is expected to begin in 2029, pending final government approvals.
Together, the new plant and projects at existing facilities are intended to raise Honda’s U.S. auto production capacity to approximately 1.3 million vehicles a year. Honda also plans to increase hybrid-system production capacity in Ohio by 250 percent in the coming years.
A flexible plant planned for central Ohio
The plant will be located between Honda’s existing Marysville and East Liberty auto plants. Honda says it will be able to build multiple vehicle types and powertrains, including hybrid, gasoline-powered and battery-electric vehicles. The company describes its planned production systems as flexible, allowing the facility to adapt its mix of vehicles as demand and market conditions change.
The plant is part of a wider manufacturing plan, rather than a standalone expansion. Honda expects the combined projects to support approximately 1.9 million vehicles of annual production capacity across North America. It says the network will connect vehicle assembly with expanded production of engines and hybrid systems.
That coordination matters because hybrid vehicles rely on more than final vehicle assembly: their powertrains combine combustion engines with electric-drive components. Expanding production of those systems alongside vehicle capacity can support more hybrid models built within the same regional manufacturing network. Honda says multiple new Honda and Acura models are under development at its U.S. research and development operations.
Existing plants to add engines and hybrid systems
In Alabama, Honda is investing in its auto and engine plant to expand engine production for a new V6 hybrid engine and update vehicle production. Changes to one assembly line will allow it to build the Passport, which is currently made on the plant’s other line, as well as support production flexibility.
At the Anna Engine Plant in Ohio, Honda is retooling an existing line to produce a next-generation four-cylinder Atkinson-cycle engine for future compact and midsize vehicles built in North America. Atkinson-cycle engines are designed around a combustion cycle that can improve fuel efficiency in suitable applications; Honda did not provide further specifications for this engine in the announcement.
Honda has also begun retooling its Ohio transmission plant to produce next-generation hybrid systems for compact and midsize vehicles, and is preparing for a system for larger models. The company says the Ohio work will increase hybrid-system production capacity by 250 percent in the coming years. In Georgia, Honda plans to install a new production line for hybrid systems for larger vehicles.
Honda’s announcement also includes planned updates and retooling at its Canadian vehicle plant to support future hybrid-electric and gasoline-powered models, including the return of engine manufacturing. Across these facilities, the plan links assembly, engine production and hybrid-system manufacturing to support Honda’s next phase of North American vehicle production.