Honda to end motorcycle production in US

DAYTON, Ohio—Honda Motor Co. plans to stop producing motorcycles in the United States next year, ending production at its first U.S. plant and transferring it to Japan, the automaker announced Wednesday.

more stories like thisThe plant, in Marysville, Ohio, employs 450 workers. Honda said there will be no layoffs when production ends in spring 2009. The workers will remain with the company, helping produce cars, trucks, engines and parts and filling other jobs at Honda's operations in west-central Ohio, the company said.

"There were a lot of people who felt disappointment," said plant manager Jan Gansheimer, noting that many of the employees are motorcycle enthusiasts who have spent much of their careers at the plant. Knowing it was a business decision and that they would not lose their jobs made it easier to accept, she said.

Gansheimer said ending production at the plant, which opened in 1979, was a difficult decision because it was Honda's first in the U.S.

Last year, the plant produced about 44,000 Gold Wing touring and VTX cruiser bikes.

Gansheimer said production of 120 motorcycles a day will continue for now. A decision on whether to phase out production and transfer workers gradually or do it all at once has not been made.

Honda said motorcycle production at the Marysville plant and at the Hamamatsu factory in Japan will be consolidated at an expanded motorcycle plant in Kumamoto, Japan, in 2009. It is part of a global plan to produce certain larger motorcycles, Honda said.

"This move allows us to improve the competitiveness and appeal of our products by applying the latest technologies and production systems at one efficient location," said Akio Hamada, president and chief executive of Honda of America.

The Japanese plant will be capable of producing up to 600,000 motorcycles a year. Capacity at the Marysville plant is 75,000.

No decision has been made about what to do with the Marysville plant, which has 3.6 million square feet.

Honda currently employs about 13,000 workers at five plants in Ohio -- two in Marysville and one each in East Liberty, Anna and Russells Point. Besides motorcycles, the employees make the Accord, Civic, Element, CR-V, Acura TL and RDX sport utility vehicle.

thats alright. looks like all the workers will still be employed. good job on honda's part

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Originally Posted by skiierx

The Japanese plant will be capable of producing up to 600,000 motorcycles a year. Capacity at the Marysville plant is 75,000.

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jesus christ.

Interesting. I wonder how many Goldwings and VTXs Honda sells outside North America.

--mark

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Originally Posted by Dangerz0ne

jesus christ.

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more like lazy americans. fat lazy americans. :D

My buddy emailed me this morning about this... he works at the motorcycle plant in Marysville.

They haven't told them what will be made there, but they were assured there would be no lay offs.

the exchange rate (weak dollar) is going to kill them to export to us

good for them for repurposing workers rather than laying them off. i like seeing that.

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Originally Posted by bump909

more like lazy americans. fat lazy americans. :D

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Yeah, I dont think its the workers that makes the numbers different
(600,000 vs. 75,000) its the actual plant technology.

only joking.. hence the smiley face.

Weird. I drove past that plant last week during my Atlanta to Birmingham drive.

So funny. Ducati makes 30,000 motorcycles TOTAL all year. Whole world. Just nuts when you see what the 'big boys' do.

It will be so much cheaper to make bikes in asia, cheap labor that actually works hard, no OSHA or EPA to deal with either.
Should have known they were screwy when they didn't make the NAS, eveybody wanted one.

it is so typical of Honda, look at how many sport bikes they bring to the US?! They are the biggest in the world with the most models and yet they bring to the US very few, VFR, CBR, 919...come on! They have so many good models in Europe. I think it has to do with exchange rate and the fact that they build a bunch of them in Europe and it doesn't pay off to bring them here.
Dani

I hope they keep making the Goldwing!!

KB

You have a job ...

Just move and take a pay cut

It is a fact of life that as a plant matures the labor costs just rise and rise if nothing else due to infationary wage increases.

So unfortunately the smart play is to move every about 15 years