Honda's Midwest manufacturing plants begin EV conversion

Move over Accord, here comes Honda’s EV line.

Honda Motor Co. is transferring production of its iconic, internal combustion engine-powered Accord sedan from its long-time home in Marysville, Ohio, to its Greensburg, Indiana, assembly plant to make room for electric vehicle production starting in 2025. The move is a major step in Honda’s "Second Founding" as an all-electric brand.

The Japanese automaker is one of the world’s most aggressive mainstream auto brands in moving to an all-electric model lineup, and it’s speeding that transition at its U.S. based plants.

Marysville is part of what Honda calls its Ohio EV Hub, a sprawling network of four vehicle and battery manufacturing facilities across Ohio and Indiana where the Japanese brand is investing over $4 billion. While Honda is retooling production lines, the bulk of that investment will go to its new East Jefferson, Ohio, plant that will make batteries with partner LG Energy Solutions.

Honda has not yet revealed the EVs it will hammer together in Marysville, but it showed futuristic-looking Saloon and Space-Hub prototypes for its 0 Series EV model line at the Consumer Electronics Show in January. Expect the first, Saloon-based EV to be a 2026 model off the reconstructed Marysville line. Honda’s first EV, the Prologue SUV, is being jointly produced with General Motors Co. in Mexico and arrives in dealerships this spring.

"Our EV Hub is playing an essential role for the evolution of EV production at Honda, in North America and globally,” said American Honda Executive Vice President Bob Nelson of a process that will provide learnings for plants across Honda’s global empire.

Marysville has symbolic significance for Honda as its first U.S.-based manufacturing plant. The company began making its gas-fired Accord sedan there in 1982, with it since becoming one of the most popular nameplates in the United States. The Accord will share a production line in Indiana with the CR-V SUV and compact Civic sedan. The ICE Acura Integra and TLX will remain in Marysville on a single, flexible production line capable of making EV or ICE vehicles.

The Ohio shake-up comes as consumer EV adoption in the United States is on the wane even as more battery-powered cars hit the market. A Gallup poll this month showed the proportion of prospective buyers of EVs has shrunk from 12% to 9% of the market. EV market leader Tesla Inc. has experienced sales declines and Ford Motor Co. has throttled back F-150 Lightning pickup truck production.

Honda’s goal is to sell only EVs by 2040, joining GM and Volkswagen AG (by 2035) as the most ambitious mainstream automakers. Other brands, like Japanese rival Toyota, don’t see broad consumer demand for EVs and are committed to building ICEs and plug-in hybrids. The consolidation of Honda’s Maryville production to one line is meant to build in flexibility so that Honda can make either ICE or EV vehicles depending on consumer taste.

Honda is confident that customers will ultimately adopt EVs.

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