Honda Motor Co. has announced that it will stop motorcycle production in the U.S. next year.
The first plant to shutdown will be the Marysville, Ohio plant that produces the Gold Wing touring and VTX cruiser motorcycles. The plant employs 450 workers. However, the workers will not be laid off; they will be transferred to work for Honda’s automotive business. The work will be consolidated with one of Honda’s Japanese plants and the cycles will be shipped stateside.
(More details after the jump)
Plant manager Jan Gansheimer said, “There were a lot of people who felt disappointment.”
Ray Riffle, of Pastaskala, Ohio, who bought his first Gold Wing in May, said, “I feel it’s a great product, and Americans have done a great job in putting them together. I hate to see them leave.”
Akio Hamada, president and chief executive of Honda of America, said, “This move allows us to improve the competitiveness and appeal of our products by applying the latest technologies and production systems at one efficient location.”
Honda said it holds about 25 percent of the U.S. market for motorcycles.
+ International Herald Tribune: Honda to end US motorcycle production, shift work to Japan plant (via Autoblog)
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It’s a good thing the Japanese keeps manipulating their currency to keep it cheap so Honda can import these motorcycles stateside. Thank you to the Japanese consumer for taking it in the shorts for the sake of your corporations! We like buying your products for less here in the US than you can get at home.
That stinks! I was trying to get a job in one of those automobile plants.
I’ve never owned or ridden a Honda bike. They do have a good reputation among sport bikers and cruiser fans. When I first learned how to ride a bike through the MSF, my instructors all rode Hondas as their bikes of choice.
Still a net loss of US jobs…moving production offshore….thanks George W.
A net loss of job? How? The same 450 people with be employed, they will just make another product.
Ben, the plant will still be there.
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