Originally announced June 2006 and a groundbreaking ceremony on March 19, 2007, the new Greensburg, Indiana plant finally began shipments on Oct 29, 2008 when Eugenia Olson drove the first Honda Civic off the assembly line at 7:50 a.m.

The $550 million plant ultimately will produce 200,000 vehicles annually and employ 2,000 workers; the vehicle they are producing is a Honda Civic Sedan featuring a 140-hp, 1.8-liter, 16-valve SOHC i-VTEC® 4-cylinder gasoline engine produced at a Honda engine plant in nearby Anna, Ohio.

“The rise of Honda’s mammoth new car plant in America’s farming heartland is a stark contrast to the layoffs and plant closings announced in recent months by General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co., and Chrysler LLC Chrysler LLC” noted The Japan Times.

In addition to the 4 cylinder gasoline engine model civic, Honda plans to shift production of its CNG natural gas version the Civic “GX” from its current factory in East Liberty, Ohio which has been producing about 2000 units per year.

Honda’s most environmentally friendly model, the GX Civic uses no gasoline and produces near zero emmissions according to Honda and it has been named “America’s Greenest Car” by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. Honda is also promoting the Civic GX as a vehicle that doesn’t require imported oil – surely to resonate with Americans today!

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