From The Gadsden Times
By Special to The Times

LINCOLN — More than 1,500 associates at Honda Manufacturing of Alabama on Tuesday celebrated the start of mass production of the new 2018 Honda Odyssey minivan, slated to go on sale this spring at Honda dealerships nationwide.

HMA is the exclusive manufacturer of the Odyssey, the most popular minivan in America in each of the past seven years.
“This is a celebration for our entire Honda team of associates who have been committed to bringing an all-new, high tech, family-friendly Odyssey to our customers,” said Jeff Tomko, president of HMA. “I congratulate all of our associates for their commitment to quality for this new vehicle, which ushers in a new level of features and functionality with the goal of creating new value for our customers.”

HMA is the sole production source of the Odyssey minivan, Pilot SUV and Ridgeline pickup truck, which was named 2017 North American Truck of the Year at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. HMA also builds the Acura MDX luxury SUV and the V-6 engines that power each vehicle.

The 2018 Odyssey is the fourth generation to be built in Alabama, and the second generation of Odyssey to be designed and developed in the United States.

HMA has made significant investments in new technologies to advance the performance, quality and value of the 2018 Honda Odyssey, including a new process for the installation of acoustic spray foam in 14 locations within the vehicle body, helping deliver best-in-class cabin quietness in the new Odyssey minivan.

HMA started production on Nov. 14, 2001, with the second-generation Odyssey. Since then, HMA has built more than 4 million vehicles and V6 engines at the Lincoln facility. The 2018 Odyssey is the fourth all-new model to roll off the production line at HMA in the past five years.