Honda announces new $3B plant in Ohio, expected to increase U.S. production to about 1.3M vehicles annually

In a major validation of President Donald Trump’s domestic manufacturing push, Honda announced it will invest $3 billion to build a brand new auto plant in Central Ohio. This marks the automaker’s fourth assembly facility in the Buckeye State and its first major new U.S. assembly plant since 2008.

The new facility — designed primarily to boost production of hybrid-electric vehicles — is slated to begin operations in 2029. The site will have the capacity to produce 240,000 vehicles annually, bringing Honda’s total United States auto production capacity to about 1.3 million vehicles per year, Honda stated on Monday.

“As Honda approaches 50 years of building products close to our customers in America, we are making one of the most significant commitments in our history to position Honda for the next 50 years,” said Bob Nelson, executive vice president of American Honda Motor Co., Inc.

Company executives noted that Ohio was chosen for the new plant in part due to “an established, highly skilled workforce” as well as its proximity to much of the automaker’s development operations and existing supplier networks.

“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,” said Ohio Governor Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) during the announcement. “For almost half a century, Honda and Ohio have grown together, and generations of families have built their careers on Honda’s manufacturing lines. Today’s announcement isn’t just an investment in a new facility — it’s an investment in Ohio’s people and Ohio’s future.”

The new plant, expected to create more than 2,000 new jobs, will be built in Central Ohio, between Honda’s existing plants in East Liberty and Marysville. It will mark the company’s ninth auto-related production facility in the United States.

The company also announced it would be making investments in other plants in Ohio, Alabama, and Georgia to scale up component production for next-generation hybrid systems.

This news comes comes as a major validation for President Trump’s domestic manufacturing push, following his administration’s implementation of a 25% general tariff on imported automobiles and foreign parts auto. Designed to penalize overseas production and compel global automakers to shift manufacturing back into the United States, the tariff strategy is proving to be a decisive catalyst in corporate investment decisions. 

Credit: oann.com