INDIANAPOLIS — During his address to Congress on Tuesday night, President Donald Trump expressed optimism regarding growth in the U.S. auto industry, citing Honda's decision to build a new plant in Indiana as a key example.
"And by the way, we're going to have growth in the auto industry like nobody's ever seen. Plants are opening up all over the place. Deals are being made never seen. That's a combination of the election win and tariffs. It's a beautiful word, isn't it, that, along with our other policies, will allow our auto industry to absolutely boom. It's going to boom. Spoke to the majors today, all three the top people, and they're so excited. In fact, already, numerous car companies have announced that they will be building massive automobile plants in America, with Honda just announcing a new plant in Indiana, one of the largest anywhere in the world," Trump said.
Trump's comments appear to reference a recent Reuters report stating that Honda will produce its next Civic model in Indiana rather than Mexico due to U.S. tariffs.
However, when WRTV reached out to Honda for clarification, the company denied that any new plans had been announced. Currently, the company operates a production plant in Greensburg, Indiana.
"Honda has made no such announcement and will not comment on this report. The Honda Civic has been made in our Indiana Auto Plant since the facility opened in 2008 based on our longstanding approach to build products close to the customer. We have the flexibility to produce products in each region based on customer needs and market conditions," the company said.
Further elaborating on the situation, a Honda spokesperson acknowledged President Trump's recognition of Honda's commitment to American manufacturing. However, they also emphasized that the company did not announce any plans for a new plant in Indiana or elsewhere in the U.S. at this time.
"We thank President Trump for recognizing our commitment to manufacturing vehicles in America, and we look forward to working with the administration and Congress on pro-growth policies that support a robust U.S. auto industry. While Honda did not announce plans for a new plant in the U.S. at this time, we have invested over $3 billion in advanced vehicle manufacturing in America in just the past three years, with a cumulative total of more than $24.7 billion.
