Media

One year after the devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck Northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011, our thoughts remain with those whose lives were lost and the people of Japan who continue the effort to recover from this devastating natural disaster.

We also very much appreciate the patience of our customers who were willing to experience a delay in the delivery of some products due to severe parts shortages caused by the earthquake. We are thankful for their loyalty and for the expressions of support we received during the difficult times.

Thanks to the incredible dedication and teamwork of our associates, suppliers, and dealers, Honda has not only recovered from this difficult challenge, we are rapidly bringing new fuel efficient and fun-to-drive Honda and Acura vehicles to market. Further, even as we faced the most critical parts supply issues last year, we continued to make critical investments in our flexible manufacturing operations and research and development operations in America that will enable us to meet the needs of our customers in the future.

In Ohio, we are in the midst of an investment of more than $500 million in production facilities that are building both our advanced Earth Dreams powertrain technologies and vehicles for our customers here and to be exported abroad.

In Alabama, we are investing more than $275 million to increase production and add a fourth light truck model. In Indiana, we added a new production shift, virtually doubling employment, and began production of the Civic Natural Gas sedan.

We aren't stopping there. Our U.S. R&D operations, which have played the lead role in developing many of our light truck products and Acura models over the last two decades, have a new responsibility to develop the Acura NSX supercar here in America. And this new NSX will be built in Ohio as well.

But we have another exciting new model going into production in Ohio, as this fall, we will celebrate the 30th anniversary of automobile production at our Marysville, Ohio auto plant with production of the all-new 2013 Honda Accord.

We will never forget the tragedy that struck Japan on March 11, 2011. But the challenging spirit our team of associates, suppliers and dealers demonstrated in its aftermath, is now creating new value for our customers and is powering Honda into the future.

Tetsuo Iwamura
President & CEO
American Honda Motor Co., Inc.

ll