It’s a big week at Honda’s Marysville Auto Plant, where production of the 2013 Honda Accord has now begun. With the new midsize sedan now rolling through the assembly line, Honda has been manufacturing in the U.S. for 30 years.
The ninth-generation Accord is the latest Honda since the second-generation Accord to be produced at the Marysville facility since the company since 1982. The 2013 Honda Accord will go on sale in September, using an Earth Dreams 2.4-liter four-cylinder paired to a new CVT or a six-speed manual. The 3.5-liter V-6, which will debut after the four-banger, will be coupled to a new six-speed manual or automatic transmission.
In addition to the Accord’s redesigned exterior and interior, Honda is banking big on its new transmissions. The automaker invested $220 million to launch production of the parts in the U.S. The transmission plant, which started building the CVTs for the Accord last week, operates on a new, “highly automated” assembly line that was part of a $70 million, 200,000-sq-ft expansion. Another $50 million has been invested in the same facility for extra aluminum casting operations.
The Anna engine plant, which is where the engines are paired to the transmissions, is also currently under construction to make more space for CVT pulley component production. Currently produced in Japan, the CVT components will start production at the Anna engine plant next year. With capacity to build 1.2 million I-4 and V-6 engines a year, the facility is also the largest auto engine factory in Honda’s global production network.
The 2013 Honda Accord will launch with available features including a forward collision warning system, LED daytime running lights, and a blind-spot monitoring system. Whether you opt for a 2013 Accord with the I-4 or V-6, Honda will offer an available six-speed manual transmission.
Courtesy of AutomobileMag.com
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