Honda invests $267 million in Ohio facilities
The 2018 Honda Accord entered mass production today at the Marysville Auto Plant in Ohio. Expect the revamped midsize sedan to go on sale this fall, with hybrid models arriving in the winter.
To support production of the new Accord, Honda is investing $267 million in its Ohio facilities. Honda has injected $220 million into the Marysville plant, including $165 million for a new welding area with 342 robots. About $47 million is destined for Honda’s engine plant in Anna, Ohio, to prepare the facility for the Accord’s new 1.5-liter and 2.0-liter turbocharged engines.
Honda is applying a number of new technologies to the manufacturing of the Accord. High-performance structural adhesives should improve the car’s rigidity, and acoustic spray foam will help reduce cabin noise. A laser brazing process for the roof and new stamping techniques help give the Accord its new shape.
The automaker is also gearing up to produce the Accord Hybrid at the Ohio plant. A new sub-assembly process has been added for prepping the new, more compact Intelligent Power Unit, which consists of the hybrid battery pack and its control systems.
Along with turbocharged four-cylinder engines and an updated hybrid, the 2018 Honda Accord also receives a lighter body structure as well as a 10-speed automatic. There is no V-6 option anymore, but you can get a manual on the Sport trim.
Honda has been producing the Accord at the Marysville facility since 1982. Over 35 years of U.S. manufacturing, Honda has built more than 11 million copies of the Accord.
Source: Honda
