Japanese automaker Honda announced Nov. 9 it plans to invest $3 billion to build a new auto plant in central Ohio to boost U.S. production of its hybrid vehicles and add to the local job force.
The plant in Union County, Ohio, is part of a larger investment in Honda’s manufacturing operations in Ohio, Alabama, and Georgia, to expand production of hybrid-electric vehicles, engines, and hybrid systems, the company said.
The investment will be a foundation for Honda’s next-generation of manufacturing and support its new Honda and Acura models being developed in the United States, the company said.
The company estimates the new facility will produce about 240,000 vehicles a year and create more than 2,000 new jobs.
Honda is also planning to expand its existing Anna Engine Plant and Transmission Plant in Ohio.
In all, the company expects to invest a total of $3.38 billion in the state and employ 2,390 more people, according to Ohio officials.
The new plant production is planned to begin operations in 2029, pending final government approvals.
“These investments strengthen America’s role as a cornerstone of Honda’s global future and reflect our confidence in our more than 30,000 Honda associates and the strength of American manufacturing,” Bob Nelson, executive vice president of American Honda Motor Co., said in a statement.
Honda produced its first American product—a CR250R motorcycle—on Sept. 10, 1979, when the company completed its first plant in Marysville, Ohio.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine spoke in Marysville at Honda’s press conference after the company’s announcement.
“Honda’s leadership could have chosen to build this plant anywhere in the world, but they chose Ohio because there are so many advantages to being here,” DeWine said.
The facility will be Honda’s fourth auto plant in the state. It was approved for a tax credit Nov. 9 by the Ohio Tax Credit Authority. No details were provided about the tax credit, and the authority didn’t immediately return a request for information about the award by publication time.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine spoke at Honda’s press conference after the company announced the project in Marysville, Ohio, on Nov. 9, 2026. (Courtesy of the Ohio Governor’s Office)
Ohio also has Honda’s largest engine plant in the world—the Anna Engine Plant in Anna.
The Honda Transmission Plant in Russells Point, Ohio, builds hybrid systems for U.S.-made Honda vehicles, including the CR-V, Accord, and Civic.
Honda also operates its largest research and development center outside of Japan and a lithium-ion battery cell manufacturing plant, which is a joint venture with LG Energy Solution in Fayette County.
The company estimates more than 65,000 Ohioans work at Japanese-owned facilities across the state.
In May 2026, Honda announced it planned to introduce 15 new Honda and Acura hybrid models globally by 2030. North America is expected to be the primary market for many of the vehicles, with plants in Ohio, Alabama, Georgia, and Canada supporting that goal, according to the company.
Honda expects the expansion across its U.S. manufacturing network to increase its U.S. auto production capacity to about 1.3 million vehicles a year, and its North American capacity to about 1.9 million.
Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown voices his support of Honda during a news conference at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, Ohio, on Oct. 11, 2022. (Samantha Hendrickson/AP Photo)
“Excited to see Honda continuing to grow right here in Alabama,” Sen. Katie Boyd Britt (R-Ala.) posted on X. “Honda’s Lincoln plant has thrived for almost three decades.”
The Honda Transmission Plant in Georgia will start producing the company’s next-generation hybrid systems for larger vehicles in the coming years, Honda said. The plant will install a new transmission assembly production line to support a hybrid system project.
The announcement is the latest auto industry investment secured since President Donald Trump announced his administration’s America First trade agenda on the day of his inauguration in January 2025.
Several auto industry giants have since decided to invest in building or expanding manufacturing in the United States to avoid hefty trade tariffs, including Ford, Toyota, General Motors, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Nissan, Hyundai, and Rolls-Royce plc.
“President Trump’s America First agenda is scoring a decisive victory over decades of offshoring,” the White House said in August.
