The ninth generation Accord, a perennial top seller in the family car category faces unprecedented competition from the Toyota Camry – the best selling car in the U.S. and all new in 2011 – just revised Nissan Altima, Ford Fusion and Chevrolet Malibu, among others.
Honda of America Manufacturing said today that it would invest $23 million and hire 50 new workers at its Marysville, Ohio auto plant to add assembly of the new Accord Hybrid Sedan scheduled to go on sale this fall. The Accord will be the third hybrid model assembled by Honda in America, and the first in Ohio. Honda Manufacturing of Indiana was the first Honda plant in North America to build a hybrid vehicle, and currently produces both the Civic Hybrid and Acura ILX Hybrid models. (Read AutoInformed on New Compact Acura ILX to be Built in Indiana by Honda)
Honda plans on selling 350,000 Accords annually in the U.S., with about 20% of them coupes, so the race for the number one family car sales spot during 2013 versus the Toyota Camry when all models are finally on sale. This includes sedan and coupe versions powered by 4-cylinder, V6 and hybrid powertrains, with manual, automatic and continuously variable transmission (CVT) choices – a formidable and perhaps overly complicated lineup. (See First Look 2014 Honda Accord Plug-In Hybrid Sedan)
The ninth generation Accord, a perennial top seller in the family car category faces unprecedented competition from the Toyota Camry – the best selling car in the U.S. and all new in 2011 – and last year revised Nissan Altima, and the Hyundai Sonata, as well as the Ford Fusion and Chevrolet Malibu, among others. The category is important for its size – almost 20% of the cars sold in the U.S., and as a result, its bragging rights.
The 2013 Honda Accord Sedan went on sale last September, with the Coupe following in October. An all-new, two-motor 2014 Accord Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV) Sedan is scheduled to debut in early 2013, followed by a conventional hybrid based on the same powertrain during the summer of 2013.
The Marysville Auto Plant is undergoing an expansion of 95,000-square-feet to house assembly processes and logistics for production of the Accord Hybrid. These include lengthening the main assembly line to accommodate the unique hybrid production processes, and adding space for related parts receiving and sub-assembly operations. The project also will increase overall efficiency of the plant’s parts logistics operations.
The new Accord Hybrid Sedan joins the 2014 Accord Plug-in Hybrid Sedan in incorporating Honda’s first two-motor hybrid system. Both the Accord Plug-In and Accord Hybrid have 2-liter i-VTEC 4-cylinder Atkinson cycle engine with a 124-kilowatt (KW) traction electric motor that can function as an electric continuously variable transmission and a 105-KW electric motor for power generation.
All of the conventional, gasoline-powered 2013 Accords now on sale in the United States are equipped with either a direct-injected 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine or a 3.5-liter V6 engine equipped with Variable Cylinder Management (VCM).
Honda’s ninth generation Accord is a technological tour de force that convincingly ends the debate about whether you need a V6 engine any longer given the significant advancements in power, fuel economy and overall smoothness that the latest generation Honda four-cylinder provides. With 185 horsepower, and 181 lb. ft. of torque the 2.4-liter direct-injected 4-cylinder engine is smooth and creates a pleasant exhaust rush at full throttle. Unlike many Honda engines, which are high revving motorcycle mills at heart, this four-cylinder is among the best car engines available.
Also surprisingly good is Honda’s first-ever application of a continuously variable transmission (CVT) on 4-cylinder models (the unneeded V6 gets a 6-speed automatic finally) where firm shifts are simulated. It is crisp, and if you get in a CVT Accord and do not look at the transmission indicator, which only has a “D,” I bet few people would realize it is a CVT.
During the last three years, Honda has announced investments at its Ohio manufacturing facilities exceeding $800 million. They include projects to establish on-site parts consolidation centers, renovate auto assembly and painting operations, and major investments at the Anna Engine Plant, as well as its transmission plant in Russells Point, to manufacture continuously variable transmissions (CVTs).
