[cardboard]

Guess this will end the Honda people talking about American pride.

The Columbus Dispatch : Honda to end motorcycle production in Ohio

[FLHTbiker]

Harley still outsells them in motorcycles so does not surprise me. I wonder if the falling dollar had anything to do with it.

[SK]

I think Harley might outsell Honda in the US, but Honda definitely sells more motorcycles worldwide.

[Red Rider]

From Honda:

Sales of motorcycles rose 7% to a record 13,476,000, with high demand in Asia and South America. Honda continues its position as the world’s largest motorcycle manufacturer.

Note that total of all manufacturers' bikes in the USA averages around 1,000,000. In 2004, Honda was the top leading maker of bikes sold in the USA - don't know about more recently. But their biggest sales here seem to be the smaller bikes, not the big moneymakers

They are moving it all back to Japan, apparently. All motorcycle production will be consolidated at a new facility set to open in 2009 in Kumamoto, Japan.

[FLHTbiker]

I don't doubt that Honda sells more bikes world wide but I was referring to the USA and should have said that. Harley has sold more bikes in the USA than Honda. There were reports out with those sales statistics but I don't have them saved. Just remember reading it.

[chucktx]

honda didnt like the unions..........dont much blame them.......so go home and get cheaper labor to build the product.....

[cardboard]

Ain't that why most companies in the U.S. has gone to Mexico, Canada, and across the water. You can't make a man for the union work very hard and its hard to fire him if he screws stuff up cause he's in the union.

[FLHTbiker]

I didn't know that any of the Jap auto makers were a part of any unions here in the USA. I really don't think the unions have anything to do with their decisions to move but rather it was probably an economic decision to consolidate their motorcycle production to one location. I know that their was always a fierce pride in the workers at Marysville Ohio operations. With the economic turn down I wonder which Jap company is next to move out.

Many years ago I had just graduated from electronics school and got hired by Epson who at the time was building computers and printers here in the USA. I worked as a Robotics Tech for 3 years with them. One day they came in and said the plant was closed and were moving to Taiwan. So we were all without a job and I swore that I would never again work for a Jap Company.

[Red Rider]

I guess what people seem to be missing is even though Honda was the top seller in the USA, the US market has NEVER been near what the overseas markets are. Honda sold about 270 thousand units here last year, but they sold over 13 MILLION in the rest of the world. It isn't about unions or slumps or anything but common sense: why have two plants, one that sells 48 times fewer than the other, especially when you're buliding a new plant that is replacing the old one and can easily make what the US one was?

Actually, the only reason Honda ever bothered to make the little plant here in the US seems to be so they could placate the protectionists. They were being threatened by Congress. Basically blackmailed into it. But now that the US market share is only 1/48th of their business they don't have to worry anymore and can do business the normal way.

[FLHTbiker]

DAYTON, Ohio — Honda Motor (HMC) plans to stop making motorcycles in the USA in spring 2009 and transfer the work to Japan.
A Marysville, Ohio, plant, built in 1979, turned out 44,000 large Gold Wing touring and VTX cruiser motorcycles last year and employs 450 workers. Honda said there will be no layoffs and that the workers will fill jobs at its other operations in Ohio. Honda employs about 13,000 at five plants in Ohio. Besides motorcycles, they make the Accord, Civic, Element, CR-V and Acura TL and RDX.

"There were a lot of people who felt disappointment," said plant manager Jan Gansheimer, noting many employees are motorcycle enthusiasts.

Gansheimer said production of 120 motorcycles a day will continue for now. A decision on phasing out production or ending it all at once has not been made.

Honda said motorcycle production at Marysville and at the Hamamatsu plant in Japan will be consolidated at an expanded plant in Kumamoto, Japan.

FIND MORE STORIES IN: Japan | Ohio | Accord | Civic | Marysville | Acura TL | Element | Motorcycle Industry Council | Kumamoto | Mike Mount | Honda of America
"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," said Akio Hamada, president and chief executive of Honda of America.

The Japanese plant will have a capacity of 600,000 motorcycles a year. Capacity at Marysville is 75,000.

No decision has been made about what to do with the Marysville plant.

The Motorcycle Industry Council estimates that 1.11 million motorcycles were sold in the USA in 2007, down from 1.19 million in 2006. Council spokesman Mike Mount noted, however, that motorcycle sales steadily increased for 14 years leading up to 2006, which was the best year for sales in 30 years.

Honda spokesman Ed Miller said the company believes sales will rebound as the economy strengthens.

Honda says it holds about 25% of U.S. sales of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles and scooters.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

[Red Rider]

Upon further review - though I got my figures from Honda's website - Honda Worldwide | January 28, 2008 "Honda Breaks Global Sales and Production Records in 2007 FORECAST" - they don't seem to make sense. I can't imagine Honda makes nearly 37,000 bikes a day. Or maybe their numbers mean money - but usually companies indicate what currency (dollar, yen, euro or pound) they're accounting in.....