There’s a first time for everything: Honda’s U.S. output tops Japan’s

Honda's Marysville Plant Produces 10-Millionth Vehicle

For the first time ever in history, Japanese automaker Honda built more vehicles in the United States than it did in Japan during the April-June quarter of 2010. Honda, which was the first Japanese company to build a plant in the United States, produced a total of 236,819 vehicles in its fiscal first quarter. It made a total of 236,559 vehicles in Japan during the same period.

Honda spokesman David Iida said that it was the first time that Honda’s U.S. vehicle output had exceeded Japan’s during a full quarter. During the first six months of this year, Honda’s Japanese output totaled 491,024, still ahead of U.S.’s total of 480,913.

Iida said that the proportion of Hondas sold in the U.S. that are produced in North America reached 90 percent in the first 6 months of 2010. Last month, Honda announced that its Marysville Auto Plant in Ohio became the first of its plants outside of Japan to produce 10 million vehicles with the production of a Honda Accord sedan.

– By: Stephen Calogera

Source: Detroit News