American Honda Motor Co. today marked the official opening of a $16 million, 66,000-square-foot accessory-installation plant on its campus in Lincoln. The plant adds accessory packages to completed vehicles — including the Ridgeline, Pilot and Pilot TrailSport — which are made next door at the Alabama Auto Plant.
Honda has operated a Post-Production Option, or PPO, program – which adds enhanced wheels, towing capability, fender flares, roof rails and more — in Alabama since 2020, but until late last year, it was housed in the nearby Alabama Industrial Training Center.
Ground was broken for the new plant in summer 2022 and it began operation in November and since then it has installed more than 15,000 accessory packages. But today marked the ribbon-cutting and attendant celebration.
“Our customer-focused Honda accessories program represents an incredible effort by our highly engaged team of associates who believed in this new business area and had the drive to make it succeed,” said Susan McCormick, department head of accessory product planning at AHM.
Many of those associates joined dignitaries at today’s event. Speakers included Chris Hodgson, manager of the PPO facility; Shugo Watanabe, vice president, auto sales, for Honda; Bob Sadler, president of Road and Rails, one of Honda’s PPO partners; Lamar Whitaker, Honda Alabama Auto Plant lead; and Lew Watson, mayor of Lincoln.
Hodgson spoke to the success of the PPO program, saying it will eventually expand to include more vehicle models and accessory packages.
It’s a sign of Honda’s continued investment in the Lincoln area, Watanabe said.
“This is more than an investment in a new building,” he told the crowd. “It’s a reminder of Honda’s investment in the local community.”
