Honda begins hiring for $550 million plant in Indiana

Honda Motor Co., Japan's second-largest automaker, will begin hiring employees for a new $550 million plant near Greensburg, Indiana, as it continues to boost U.S. vehicle production.

About 2,000 people will eventually work in Honda's sixth North American assembly plant, which may produce 200,000 vehicles annually, the Tokyo-based company said today in a statement.

Last year, Honda made 1.16 million vehicles in North America. The new plant will help boost that to 1.6 million, Honda said today. The U.S. market is the biggest for Tokyo-based Honda.

Construction of the plant will be complete later this year, Smith said, when production will start there on 2009 model-year vehicles. The company hasn't said which cars will be made there.