INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Honda is announcing construction of a $550 million dollar auto assembly plant near Greensburg, Indiana.
Honda North America president Koichi (KOH'-ee-chee) Kondo announced the plans Wednesday morning, saying, "Honda and Indiana, start your engines."
The factory about halfway between Indianapolis and Cincinnati will employ two-thousand workers and eventually produce 200-thousand vehicles annually. It's expected to open in 2008 and will be Honda's sixth in North America.
Kondo wouldn't say which vehicle would be built at the plant, but said it would contain a four-cylinder engine to meet the needs of customers seeking fuel efficient vehicles.
Governor Daniels welcomed the news, saying Honda will feel right at home in Indiana.
At least one auto industry expert says the number of jobs could end up being far more than first expected. The director of Purdue's Center for Advanced Manufacturing says similar operations typically generate jobs at supplier plants within a 500 mile radius. John Sullivan says retailers and restaurants will also benefit from workers spending their earnings. He says the high-paying jobs will transform southeast Indiana.
Honda and its larger rival, Toyota, have been rapidly expanding their North American manufacturing capacity. Sullivan says Toyota initially said it would hire 13-hundred people at its Princeton, Indiana, plant when it broke ground ten years ago. Today, it has about 47-hundred workers.
Residents cheer Honda's decision
GREENSBURG, Ind. (AP) - Until today, Greensburg, Indiana, was best known for the tree that grows from the top of the Decatur County Courthouse.
Now it's going to be known as the location of Honda's sixth North American auto plant. The Japanese car company announced Wednesday it would build the plant, bringing two-thousand jobs to the city about halfway between Indianapolis and Cincinnati.
There's a hand-drawn sign saying "Welcome Honda" in a window of Christy's Cakes and Confections, next to three-tiered white wedding cake.
Resident Andy Klinker says he doesn't think the plant will change Greensburg's small-town feel.
State Representative Cleo Duncan of Greensburg calls the announcement "monumental" and says it will have an impact on the entire state.Copyright © 2006, WXIN-TV, Indianapolis
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