Union County is set to become the site of a $3 billion Honda assembly plant, a project the automaker says will create more than 2,000 jobs and be capable of building 240,000 vehicles a year.
Production is expected to start in 2029 on company-owned land between Honda's existing Marysville and East Liberty facilities. This will be Honda’s fourth auto assembly plant in Ohio and its ninth auto-related production site in the country, the company said in a release. Reuters reported that the project would lift Honda's annual vehicle-production capacity to about 1.3 million in the U.S. and 1.9 million across North America.
The new factory is designed to build vehicles powered by gasoline, hybrid systems, or batteries, allowing Honda to shift production as demand changes. The company also plans to raise Ohio's hybrid powertrain production capacity by 250 percent, alongside retooling work at its engine and transmission operations.
The expansion builds on decades of manufacturing in the region. Honda began making motorcycles near Marysville in 1979, with 64 associates, according to the company's history of its U.S. operations. It started producing the Accord at the Marysville Auto Plant in 1982. East Liberty, Honda’s second U.S. auto production facility, opened in 1989.
Union County Commissioner Tom McCarthy welcomed the decision, telling the Marysville Matters on Substack that “today's investment sends a bold and powerful message,” adding that Honda believes in Ohio, Union County, and Marysville. Gov. Mike DeWine likewise framed the project as an extension of a relationship built over nearly half a century. “Honda's leadership could have chosen to build this plant anywhere in the world, but they chose Ohio” DeWine said, adding that the “announcement isn't just an investment in a new facility - it's an investment in Ohio's people and Ohio's future.”
This facility will push the Japanese automaker's cumulative investment in Ohio above $20 billion, with half of that total in Union County. The company’s existing Ohio network includes auto, engine, and transmission operations, giving the new plant a place within an established manufacturing base as Honda prepares to expand hybrid production and retain flexibility across powertrains.
