- The new plant will have the capacity to build up to 250,000 vehicles annually.
- Honda and Acura could build large SUVs at the site, including larger Pilot and MDXs.
- Honda is in the midst of subsidy negotiations with Ohio officials.
After canceling plans for two all-new electric vehicles forming part of its 0 Series, Honda is now betting big on hybrids for the North American market. It’s so confident in the potential of hybrids across the region that it’s finalizing plans for a huge hybrid vehicle factory in Ohio that could cost up to $2.5 billion.
Honda sells millions of vehicles worldwide, in almost every corner of the globe, but North America is its most important market. In fact, this one region accounts for roughly 40 percent of Honda’s sales, and through the fiscal year ending March 2027, it expects to see local sales rise 6 percent from the previous year.
Read: Honda Is Running Its North American Factories So Hard It May Need A New One
Strong demand means Honda needs to build more cars locally, and that’s exactly what it is planning. It’s understood Honda is negotiating with officials in Ohio to lock in state subsidies before announcing the new site, expected to be located near its current factory in the state. If all goes well, work on the site could begin next year and it may be ready to kick off production in 2030.
Which Models Will Be Built In Ohio?
Nikkei Asia believes the factory will have the capacity to build up to 250,000 vehicles annually and will focus on large hybrids. Among these could be the next-generation Acura MDX, shifting to a new shared platform with other Honda models. Interestingly, this isn’t the only new Acura SUV in the works. Reports from late August indicated that Acura is also developing a flagship three-row SUV, currently known as the ‘Acura XL,’ serving as a rival to models like the Lexus TX and Buick Enclave. If the new MDX is built at the Ohio plant, this model could be too.
Honda itself could also build the rumored ‘Pilot XXL’ at the plant. This model is shaping up to slot above the existing Pilot in the company’s range, and, according to Auto News, could be roughly 8 inches (203 mm) longer than that model. There’s no word on what kind of powertrain it could have, but it’s claimed production could start in the first quarter of 2032, giving Honda plenty of time to get the new Ohio plant up and running.
In a statement, Honda refused to confirm or deny plans for a new factory, simply stating that, “Any reporting about a potential new plant or the products that could be built there is speculative and not based on information shared by Honda.”
