​Plant Histories Honda of America Mfg., Inc. started production* on Sept. 10, 1979 at the Marysville Motorcycle Plant with 64 associates. The first product built was a 1980 CR250 Elsinore off-road motorcycle. Adjacent to the motorcycle plant, the Marysville Auto Plant started producing 1983-model Honda Accords on Nov. 10, 1982. The first gray Accord Sedan is on display at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Mich. The first engine built at the Anna Engine Plant, on Sept. 20, 1985, was a GL 1200 engine for the Gold Wing motorcycle. The plant produced its first automobile engine, a 1.5-liter 4-cylinder engine for Civic, in September 1986. The East Liberty Auto Plant, Honda’s second U.S. automobile plant, started production on Dec. 18, 1989, with production of a gray 1990-model Civic hatchback. It was the first automobile plant in America to use more environmentally friendly waterborne paint. Accomplishments The Marysville Auto Plant accomplished the U.S. auto industry’s first “rolling model change” with the launch of the 1986 Accord, achieved without a plant shutdown. In March 1988, Honda of America began producing right-hand drive Accord Coupes for export to Japan, making Accord the first U.S-made automobile exported to Japan, and the Marysville Auto Plant the first U.S. auto plant to build both left- and right-hand drive models on one assembly line. In 1995, the East Liberty Plant began production of the Acura CL coupe, the first luxury model from a Japanese automaker to be designed, developed and produced in America. In 2009, The East Liberty Auto Plant earned the Gold Plant Award for having the highest quality of any auto plant in North America, in J.D. Power and Associates’ 2009 Initial Quality Survey (IQS). Economic and Community Impact Over the past 30 years, Honda of America Mfg. has built more than: 13 million automobiles 17 million engines 1 million motorcycles 2 million ATVs Honda has more than $7 billion in capital investment in Ohio. Along with a company matching program, Honda of America Mfg. associates have donated more than $28 million dollars to local United Way agencies. Since 1995, Honda of America Mfg. associates have volunteered more than 500,000 hours of service to local community organizations as “Honda Hero” volunteers. The company has directly supported their volunteer activities with grants totaling more than $1 million. Environmental Commitment Honda is working continuously to reduce the environmental impact of its manufacturing activities, including efforts to reduce the energy intensity (and related CO2 emissions) of production, as well as initiatives to reduce landfill waste, water use and air emissions. Based on its success at reducing by 25% the energy consumed in the body painting process at the Marysville Auto Plant, Honda is installing its “Intelligent Paint Booth” technology at other major plants in North America. By maximizing reuse and recycling, Honda has reduced manufacturing waste to landfills by 82% from 2001 levels in North America. The company has set a new target of nearly zero (less than 1%) waste to landfills for all plants in North America within three years. *Honda and Acura products are produced using domestic and globally sources parts