Ohio-made Honda claims top safety award

Aug. 30--A Honda whose engine and transmission are made in Western Ohio has been named a top safety pick.

The 2019 Honda Insight has been awarded the 2018 Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's (IIHS) highest safety rating of "top safety pick," Honda said this week.

The award is due to top ratings of "good" in crash-worthiness tests, a standard "good " rating for the Insight's LED headlights and a "superior" rating for the vehicle's braking system, Honda said.

"Insight continues to prove that it's much more than just a pretty face with great fuel-efficiency ratings." Ray Mikiciuk, assistant vice president of Honda automobile sales, said in a company statement.

Plenty of Ohio work goes into the Insight.

The Insight's gas-electric hybrid drive is produced by the Russells Point transmission plant, in central Ohio. This is the first time the plant has built anything but conventional transmissions, according to Forbes magazine.

The hybrid-drive twin electric motor units are then shipped to Honda's Anna engine plant -- located about an hour north of Dayton along Interstate 75 -- to be mated with a 1.5-liter Atkinson cycle four-cylinder engine. Final assembly happens in Greensburg, Ind.

The work at Russells Point in Logan County required a nearly $30 million investment from Honda last year.

Honda employs about 13,000 Ohioans, including about 1,000 workers who commute from the Dayton area and another 1,300 from the Springfield area.

Honda also operates facilities in Marysville and East Liberty. It has twin distribution facilities in Troy.

The company also operates a research and development facility in Ohio.

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