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Honda marks 20 million vehicles made in the USA

Japanese automakers manufacturing in the United States is nothing new. But it was in November of 1982 when the first Honda Accord rolled off the assembly line in Marysville, OH. It was the first Japanese vehicle assembled in the US, and in the nearly 32 years since, Honda has made 10 million Accords here for a total of 20 million cars manufactured in America - enough to span from New York to San Francisco twenty times. It's that double landmark which Honda is now celebrating.
Honda has come a long way in those three decades, keeping that original plant in Marysville on line while expanding to three more - in East Liberty, OH; Lincoln, AL; and Greensburg, IN - with a fifth plant (the Performance Manufacturing Center) opening on the same site in Marysville to build the Acura NSX next year. It also builds engines in Lincoln and in Anna, OH, and automatic transmissions at Russells Point, OH, and Tallapoosa, GA.
Between those seven sites, Honda produces 11 different models, including the Accord, Civic, Crosstour, CR-V, Pilot, Odyssey and Ridgeline as well as the Acura ILX, TL, RDX and MDX. Production keeps on ramping up as Honda produced a record 1.3 million vehicles in the US last year, 95 percent of which are sold in the US. Scope out the details in the press release below and click the image above to see it all laid out in a handy infographic.

Honda exec says US market near capacity, could hurt subprime buyers

Is there a point in the US auto industry where companies should start considering the welfare of their customers ahead of selling more cars? American Honda Executive Vice President of Sales John Mendel thinks that level exists, and we may be getting very close to it.
According to Automotive News, Mendel believes that finding more customers in the market could require pursuing subprime buyers and offering longer-term loans. However, he refuses to use those tactics. While selling models this way can improve things briefly, the strategies hurt resale prices and lower vehicle profits over time. The company won't do "stupid things in the short-term that damage the person who bought yesterday," he said to Automotive News. "It's a very, very short-term tactic especially in the subprime area."
American Honda, which combines the Acura and Honda brands, has seen market share decline from 9.7 percent to 9.1 percent through July 2014, according to Automotive News, and Autoblog's By the Numbers stats showed it posted falling sales in five of the seven months with data this year. Though, Mendel claims that was partially because the company focused on retail sales over fleets. The delays of the launches for the Honda Fit and Acura TLX likely didn't help either.

Japan's government gives hydrogen vehicles a big boost

The Japanese government is really paving the way for hydrogen fuel cell technology on its roads. Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry is changing regulations on fuel tanks to make hydrogen cars more appealing to drivers, which should help put the country ahead of others in the race to develop a viable H2 fleet. Japan is raising the allowed pressure of hydrogen tanks from 700 atmospheres to 875, which has the effect of increasing driving range by 20 percent. This move puts the country in line with others with high-pressure fueling regulations. Japan is also in talks with the United Nations and the European Union to streamline inspection rules to make it easier to export Japan's fuel-cell vehicles. Toyota premiered its hydrogen-powered FCV Concept at the Tokyo Motor Show last year and plans to release a production version as early as next year. Honda also plans to build its own fuel-cell cars for 2015, and it debuted its FCEV Concept at last year's Los Angeles Auto Show. Nissan is sending mixed messages on hydrogen, both questioning the availability of a refueling infrastructure and working on developing the vehicles. In Japan, a relatively small country, increasing the range of fuel-cell vehicles makes creating a usable infrastructure a bit less daunting. Will hydrogen-fueled electric cars see the same sort of success as Toyota's Prius hybrid or battery-powered EVs? Only time will tell, but we can keep our fingers crossed that it will, and that the popularity spills over beyond Asia. Featured Gallery Toyota FCV (Fuel Cell Vehicle) Hydrogen Concept View 24 Photos News Source: Nikkei via Green Car Reports Government/Legal Green Honda Toyota Hydrogen Cars charging station infrastructure fcev fcv