Honda says it plans to invest $98 million at its Anna Engine Plant as it prepares  to build the company’s next-generation of fuel-saving, powertrain technologies in Ohio. The move is aligned with a $120 million investment, announced last year, for the production of a new continuously variable transmission or CVT in nearby Russells Point, Ohio, Honda officals said
 The Anna Engine Plant will manufacture high-tech pulley components for Honda’s new CVT technology, which is part of the new Honda ‘Earth Dreams’ powertrain technology lineup, to be deployed for the first time in the U.S. in the all-new, more powerful and fuel-efficient 2013 Honda Accord.
Honda will buil the advanced CVT on a new assembly line at Honda at Russells Point. The modernization and expansion of the Russells Point transmission plant, along with the new pulley component production at the Anna plant, will create 150 new jobs.
“For decades, our two Ohio powertrain plants have worked together to deliver advanced products for our customers,” said Hide Iwata, president and CEO, Honda of America Mfg., Inc. “The production of this new CVT technology puts the Buckeye State right in the middle of Honda’s global strategy.”
The new transmissions will debut in the all-new 2013 Honda Accord models that will come to market later this year.  The Accord for the U.S. market is built only in Ohio at the Marysville Auto Plant.
“Applying Honda’s new Earth Dreams Technologies in the production of engines and transmissions will greatly enhance the driving performance of Honda vehicles, and help us achieve fuel economy leadership in every segment over the next three years,”  Iwata said.
 Earth Dreams technology defines Honda’s next-generation engine and transmission strategy to realize advanced levels of both performance and fuel efficiency. Introduction of the new CVT for mid-size cars, will improve fuel economy by approximately 10 percent compared with the current five-speed automatic transmission, Iwata said. By Joseph Szczesny