Newsbriefs
1 One-millionth vehicle leaves Honda Marysville motorcycle plant
Honda's Marysville, Ohio, motorcycle plant produced its one millionth vehicle
July 26, 1996, a Gold Wing Aspencade. Gold Wings are the best-selling luxury touring
motorcycles in America and are made exclusively at the Marysville plant of Honda
of America Mfg., Inc. Motorcycle manufacturing began at the Marysville plant in
September 1979. In the last five years, the plant's annual production has tripled,
employment has grown 85%, to 650, and investment has nearly doubled, to $117 million.
The plant manufactures four other motorcycle and all-terrain vehicle models, all
exclusively, and about 20% of the 180,000 units produced annually are exported
to 43 countries.
2 Recycling joint venture in Japan to turn scrap plastic into products
Honda Motor Co., Ltd., has established a joint venture company in Japan to develop
recycling technologies and establish facilities to produce automobile components
and artificial wood paneling from malformed and scrap complex plastics. The new
company, Honda U.G.R. Co., Ltd., will begin operations in April 1997 to collect,
sort, sell and use scrap materials. Equity shares in the venture will be held
by Honda Motor Co. and three other Honda affiliates, Itochu Corp. and EIN-Engineering
Co., Ltd.
3 New U.S.-made Valkyrie motorcycle rides into Japanese market
The 1997 Valkyrie custom cruiser motorcycle, produced only at Honda's Marysville,
Ohio, motorcycle plant went on sale in Japan in July.
The 1,520cc Valkyrie will be the third large motorcycle produced by Honda of America
Mfg., Inc., to be exported to the Japanese market, following the 1,520cc Gold
Wing and the 1,100cc Shadow. Honda projects sales of 420 Valkyries each year.
The Valkyrie features the largest displacement mass-produced motorcycle engine
in the world and is the only motorcycle cruiser with a six-cylinder engine. |
