Honda Manufacturing of Indiana workers in Greensburg began production Wednesday of the 2017 CR-V.
The vehicles are the first SUVs to be built at the plant since it began production in 2008, Honda reported in a news release.
With the expansion, Greensburg employees now build Honda’s two best-selling vehicles of 2016, the Civic and CR-V, the release stated.
Honda announced plans in March 2016 to invest $52 million and create 100 new jobs to support the production startup of the Honda CR-V in response to growing demand for its light-truck models, the company said.
Honda’s production of the CR-V was transitioned from its plant in Guadalajara, Mexico. Honda also builds the CR-V at its East Liberty, Ohio, auto plant and at a Honda plant in Alliston, Ontario, Canada.
“We are leveraging the manufacturing flexibility of our experienced Indiana associates to meet the needs of our customers,” said Bob Nelson, president of Honda Manufacturing of Indiana.
The redesigned and reengineered 2017 CR-V is the fifth generation of Honda’s popular five-passenger compact SUV, the best-selling SUV in America over the past 20 years, the company said.
Greensburg-based Honda Manufacturing of Indiana, LLC, is one of five Honda auto plants in the U.S..
With more than 2,400 employees — including some from Bartholomew County — and capital investment exceeding $900 million, the plan manufactures automobiles primarily for the U.S. market, but also for markets outside of North America. The Greensburg plant has the capacity to produce 250,000 vehicles a year.
