The vehicle rolled off the assembly line at Honda’s Marysville in Ohio on December 5 and was moved to port Hueneme for loading on December 13.
Honda produces vehicles for overseas export at all four of its plants in the US and to mark the export of the one millionth vehicle the company held a ceremony attended by associates from plants in Ohio, Alabama, Indiana and California to send the vehicle on its 6,000-mile journey.
According to the carmaker Honda currently exports vehicles to 49 countries and expects total exports to reach nearly 100,000 Honda and Acura vehicles from the US in 2012.
Last month Honda said it intended to boost vehicle exports from the US and could raise volumes from the current level of between 6%-7% to as much as 20% from the wider North American region.
Honda exports to more than 50 right hand-drive markets in South America, Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Within two years, the company said it would be exporting more vehicles built in its assembly plants in North America than it imports from Japan. In November CEO Takanobu Ito said that “[t]he old structure of relying on Japan as chief export platform was unnatural”.
Total exports from 1987 have amounted to more than $22 billion worth of automobiles.
At the beginning of November the carmaker celebrated its 30th year of production in the US. With the latest $200m investment at the Anna Engine Plant and Honda Transmission Manufacturing, Honda's US capital investment exceeds $12.5 billion.
