It’s been a quarter of a century since American Honda Motor Company sent the first vehicle built in one of its U.S. facilities abroad. This week, the organization marked another milestone in what’s become an ever-expanding export saga by rolling the one millionth export unit off of the assembly line at its Marysville Auto Plant. The car, a 2013 Honda Accord EX-L Sedan, is destined for the South Korean market.
In marking the occasion, Takanobu Ito, president & CEO of Honda Motor Co., Ltd., announced that it is committed to having the U.S. operation play an even more critical role in the parent company’s future international plans by taking on greater responsibility for the introduction of "global automobiles" that will be sold in multiple countries. Honda also intends to become a net exporter within the next two years, building and shipping more vehicles to other countries than it brings into America from Japan.
Since 1987, Honda has exported more than $22 billion worth of automobiles and components from its U.S. facilities, which are located in Alabama, Indiana and Ohio. Each currently produces at least one model for the global market, including the Honda Accord, Civic, Crosstour, CR-V, Pilot, Odyssey, and Ridgeline as well as the Acura ILX, TL, RDX and MDX.
"Quality for the world, made in America, has been an important Honda commitment for the past 25 years," said Ito. "In the coming years, we will take on the challenge of helping even more customers around the world enjoy Honda products made in the USA."
