Honda’s New Ohio Plant Will Reportedly Build Next-Gen Acura MDX And Two Flagship SUVs

Ohio's $3.38 billion Honda investment boosts hybrid capacity, adds 2,390 jobs statewide, and prepares the Acura MDX for its next chapter.

Honda US production

Photo by: Honda

Brian Potter

By: Brian Potter

Nov 10, at 1:55am ET

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Honda is putting $3 billion into a new assembly plant in Ohio, and the company's fourth factory in the state carries more than a construction budget. It is a bet on hybrids, and on the Acura MDX staying built in America.

The plant will sit between Honda's existing East Liberty and Marysville operations, adding more than 2,000 jobs to a workforce already building Hondas and Acuras across the state. Production is expected to start in 2029, pending final government approvals.

Honda's New Ohio Plant Will Add More Than 2,000 Jobs

Honda's new Ohio auto plant location in relation to current Honda facilities

Honda's new Ohio auto plant location in relation to current Honda facilities

Photo by: Honda

Honda confirmed the investment on November 9. Governor DeWine's office, JobsOhio, One Columbus and Union County jointly announced the project a day later.

Ohio officials put the full commitment at $3.38 billion, folding in upgrades to Honda's existing Anna Engine Plant and Honda Transmission Plant-Ohio alongside the new assembly site, for a combined 2,390 jobs statewide.

The new factory alone is planned for 240,000 vehicles a year once it is running at capacity. That addition pushes Honda's total US auto-production capacity to roughly 1.3 million vehicles annually, a scale the company has not approached before in its domestic footprint.

Honda says it is already retooling its Ohio transmission plant to support two next-generation hybrid systems meant for compact, midsize and larger North American models. The company expects hybrid-system production capacity there to climb 250 percent in the coming years, lining up with Honda's plan to launch 15 new Honda and Acura hybrids globally by 2030.

The new plant is designed with flexibility built in. Honda says it will handle hybrid, gasoline and battery-electric powertrains on the same line, a hedge that keeps the factory relevant whichever way the market swings over the next decade.

Gallery: Honda To Boost US Hybrid Production

Bob Nelson, Executive Vice President, American Honda Motor Co., Inc., Speaks at Honda New Plant and Investment Announcement

Bob Nelson, Executive Vice President, American Honda Motor Co., Inc., Speaks at Honda New Plant and Investment Announcement Ohio Governor Mike Dewine and Honda Executive Vice President Bob Nelson Shake Hands Honda Leaders and Government and Community Leaders Celebrate Honda Announcement of New $3 Billion U.S. Auto Plant Honda Alabama Auto Plant Construction Underway Honda US production

Source: Honda

The Acura MDX and Two Flagship Crossovers Are Reported Plans

Honda has not said which vehicles will actually roll off this line, and that gap is where most of the public interest has landed. A person briefed on the plan told Automotive News the Ohio factory is expected to build the next-generation Acura MDX along with two new flagship crossovers. Honda declined to confirm specific models for the site.

That report tracks with Acura's own public roadmap. The brand has already said it wants more SUVs than it currently offers, including a three-row model built for rougher terrain than anything in the lineup today.

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Acura has also pointed toward an eight-passenger flagship as part of that expansion, and Honda's own trademark filings have hinted at where the broader lineup is headed next. None of that confirms what arrives in Union County, but it shows the appetite for bigger, hybrid-capable SUVs is real on both sides of the brand.

Honda first flagged its interest in a Central Ohio hybrid plant months before this week's announcement, and the timeline now has a number attached: 2029, assuming the approvals clear. Until Honda names the vehicles outright, the MDX connection stays a sourced report, not a confirmed product plan.