Honda will spend $98 million and hire an additional 150 workers and at its Anna and Russells Point plants in Ohio, to make components for the 2013 Accord and other new models, the company reported Wednesday. The new workers will join the 13,500 people Honda employs in Ohio, reported the
Columbus Dispatch.
The new project will make parts for a continuously variable transmission, or CVT, which will lead to lower emissions.
“For decades, our two Ohio powertrain plants have worked together to deliver advanced products for our customers,” said Hidenobu Iwata, Honda’s top manufacturing executive in North America. “The production of this new CVT technology puts the Buckeye State right in the middle of Honda’s global strategy.”
The CVT uses a pulley system instead of gears, which allows a transmission to make smooth transitions instead of gear shifts. Nissan and other automakers have already used this type of transmission.
The project is part of a Honda initiative called “Earth Dreams,” which will introduce engines and transmissions that will improve vehicles’ fuel economy and performance.
Honda has announced more than $500 million in improvements in its Ohio plants since November 2010, including assembly plants in Marysville and East Liberty, the engine plant in Anna and the transmission plant in Russells Point.
© 2013 Newsmax. All rights reserved.