New central Ohio factory will add more than 2,000 jobs and capacity for 240,000 vehicles a year, with production planned for 2029

Honda is preparing one of the biggest investments in its U.S. history. On November 9, 2026, the automaker confirmed it will spend $3 billion on a brand-new auto plant in Central Ohio, a project expected to create more than 2,000 jobs and add room to build 240,000 vehicles a year. Production is scheduled to begin in 2029, pending final government approvals.

The new factory is part of a wider plan across Ohio, Alabama, Georgia and Canada with one clear focus: building more hybrid vehicles close to American drivers. Once everything is in place, Honda’s U.S. production capacity will climb to roughly 1.3 million vehicles a year, while its North American capacity will reach about 1.9 million.

Where Honda’s New Ohio Plant Will Be Built

The plant will rise on land between the Marysville and East Liberty auto plants, right in the heart of Honda’s longtime manufacturing hub. It will be the brand’s fourth auto plant in Ohio and its ninth auto-related production facility in the U.S.

Honda expects it to be one of its most advanced factories in the world, with leading-edge automation, data-driven technology and flexible production systems. The lines will be ready to build hybrid, gasoline and battery-electric vehicles, so output can follow customer demand as it evolves.

The location keeps the factory close to Honda’s engineering teams, its large supplier base and the L-H Battery Company joint venture facility, which can produce battery cells for both hybrid and all-electric models. The bond runs deep: Honda started building motorcycles in Marysville in 1979, and in 1982 the same site produced the first Japanese-brand car made in the United States.

Hybrids Take The Spotlight

Interest in electrified models keeps rising, and Honda is answering with a much larger hybrid lineup. In May 2026, the company announced plans to launch 15 new Honda and Acura hybrid models worldwide by 2030, with North America as the main destination for many of them.

The CR-V leads that wave. The hybrid version already makes up more than half of CR-V sales, and hybrids now represent about 30% of all Honda brand sales in the U.S. The current 2027 CR-V Hybrid starts at $36,030 plus destination, with a 204 hp two-motor system and up to 40 mpg combined.

All-New 2028 CR-V Will Be 100% Hybrid

Just three days after the plant news, Honda confirmed that the seventh-generation CR-V arrives in 2027 as a 2028 model, powered exclusively by a new two-motor hybrid system. America’s best-selling SUV will also debut an all-new Honda platform and a fresh design, right on time for the nameplate’s 30th anniversary.

Honda is targeting a fuel-efficiency gain of more than 10% over the current hybrid, plus a newly developed electric AWD unit for sharper, more precise control. The new CR-V will keep being built in East Liberty, Ohio, in Indiana and in Alliston, Ontario. Its hybrid unit will come from the Honda Transmission Plant in Ohio, and the Anna Engine Plant will supply a next-generation four-cylinder Atkinson-cycle engine. Official pricing will be revealed closer to launch.

Passport Production Grows In Alabama

The Alabama Auto Plant in Lincoln, which celebrates 25 years of vehicle production this fall, also gets a major upgrade. Honda will renovate Line 1 so it can build the Passport, which today comes only from Line 2, and will add new equipment for a V6 hybrid engine designed for future larger models.

The 2027 Passport starts at $45,195, while the adventure-ready TrailSport begins at $49,995, both plus a $1,595 destination fee. The TrailSport gained a reengineered, lifted suspension and more standard tech, including the TrailWatch camera system and a heated steering wheel.

More Hybrid Power From Ohio, Georgia And Canada

Behind the new vehicles, Honda is also expanding the production of the systems that power them:

• Honda Transmission Plant-Ohio is being retooled to build two next-generation hybrid systems, raising hybrid system capacity by 250% in the coming years. The first of them enters production in 2027.
• Honda Transmission Plant-Georgia will install a new assembly line to produce hybrid systems for larger vehicles.
• Anna Engine Plant, Honda’s largest engine plant in the world, will build the new four-cylinder Atkinson-cycle engine and open a parts consolidation center in 2027.
• Honda of Canada Mfg. in Alliston will be updated for next-generation hybrid and gasoline models, including the return of engine manufacturing, as part of a C$867 million commitment to Honda’s Canadian operations.

Key Dates For Honda Fans

The calendar is already taking shape. In 2027, the next-generation hybrid system goes into production in Ohio and the all-new 2028 CR-V reaches dealerships. In 2029, the new Central Ohio plant starts building vehicles. By 2030, Honda plans to have its 15 new hybrid models on the road.

Honda has been building cars in America for more than four decades, and in 2025 nearly 99% of the Honda and Acura vehicles sold in the U.S. were made in North America. This new chapter brings even more of the brand’s hybrids closer to the drivers who choose them every day.