Honda’s Lincoln Plant Adds Fourth Vehicle

Despite double-digit sales declines for vehicles made here in Alabama, there is good news for Honda’s Lincoln Plant employees. Associates now make three vehicles and next year, they will make a fourth.

By mid-2009, the V-6 Accord will be built at Honda’s Lincoln plant. With high gas prices and less demand for low-mileage vehicles, Honda hopes to meet demand for more fuel-efficient vehicles.

It was the talk of the town when Honda opened its Lincoln plant to manufacture the Odyssey minivan back in 2001. In 2006, the Pilot was added and earlier this year, the Ridgeline truck. Now Honda will shift its V-6 Accord from Ohio to Alabama.

Honda VP Alabama Operations Mike Oatridge said, “It’s the right car at the right time. It’s great fuel economy, 29 miles to the gallon, and we’re very, very excited with the confidence Honda has in our Alabama operations, and our Alabama workforce.“

Even though gas prices are dropping, the sales are still low for lower-mileage vehicles like its trucks and SUVs. For Honda it just makes sense to make the production shift and, some industry analysts might even say, save jobs.

“What we’re doing is responding to the market,“ Oatridge said. “Our real strength is responding to the market flexibility, building cars that our customers want to buy and we’re very happy we can do that very quickly.“

By the middle of next year the Lincoln plant will make the shift. Its 4,500 employees on its two assembly lines will make all four vehicles.  And despite the production line change, Lincoln’s output will remain about the same - 300,000 vehicles a year.

The Marysville, Ohio plant won’t be left out in the cold. Production of the 4-cylinder Accord will shift from overseas to the Ohio plant.