If the phrase "Made in America" is the first thing that pops into your
mind when you see a Honda Gold Wing, you should be prepared to change
that.
Honda will move its motorcycle manufacturing operations out of its U.S.A. plant in Marysville, Ohio, in the first half of 2009, 30 years after it opened.
The Gold Wings and VTX cruisers that are currently made there will now be made in a new plant in Kumamoto, Japan … and without "Made in USA" stickers.
In Ohio, the 450 Marysville motorcycle workers will be moved to making cars, light trucks, engines, and other components at other Honda plants located in the state. The company has five manufacturing locations there, with 13,000 employees.
Apparently, no decision has been made about what to do with the 3,600,000 sq. ft. Marysville plant, which turns out 44,000 motorcycles a year right now.
"The new [Kumamoto] plant will serve as Honda’s global leader with advanced motorcycle production technologies," said a Honda press release, and will be able to manufacture 600,000 motorcycles annually.
But it’s not like they’re completely pulling up stakes in North America. Honda recently invested $11 billion in auto production factilities, and has other plants in Alabama, Canada, and Mexico.
