Where Are Honda Odysseys Made? (Solved & Explained)

Many consider the Honda Odyssey one of the best minivans on the market.

With a cavernous cabin, an expansive cargo hold, and several family-friendly features, the Odyssey has sure earned the title.

We explore the production location of Honda Odysseys in this article.

Where Are Honda Odysseys Made?

Honda makes the Odyssey vehicles at its plants in Sayama, Japan; Guangzhou, China; and Lincoln, Alabama, USA. Models made in the USA are meant for sale in North America, while those made in Japan and China are meant for international markets.

Are Odysseys for the U.S. Market Produced in the U.S.?

Honda manufactures the Odysseys it sells to Americans at its plant in Lincoln, Alabama. The Japanese automaker also sources most of the parts locally.

In the past, Honda imported the Odyssey into the US from Japan and China, particularly during the model’s first generation (1994-1998).

However, US production of the Honda Odyssey started at the Honda Manufacturing of Alabama (HMA) plant in Lincoln, Alabama in 1999.

Are They Being Assembled in the U.S.?

For a long time, Honda has assembled Odyssey minivans sold in the US at its Lincoln, Alabama plant.

In fact, the Honda Odyssey is one of the most “American” vehicles based on the number of parts sourced locally. It placed 5th out of 91 cars on the 2020 Cars.com American-made Index.

The 2023 models are the only Honda Odyssey delivered with AWD. To check more about the 4WD and AWD on Honda Odyssey, click here.

How Can You Check Where a Specific Odyssey Was Produced?

The best way to check where your Odyssey vehicle comes from is to check its Vehicle Identification Number (VIN).

The VIN is a string of 17 characters that reveal information about your vehicle, including its country of manufacture.

The first VIN character will reveal your Odyssey’s production location.

If it begins with a letter, then it’s from a continent other than America.

But if it has a number as the first VIN character, then it’s definitely from a North American country.

An American-made Odyssey will have 1, 4 or 5 as its initial VIN character; a Canadian-made Odyssey will have 2 as its initial VIN Character. Meanwhile, a Japanese-made Odyssey would have the letter J as its first VIN character.

Make sure to read our article about how long the Honda Odyssey lasts.

Are Japanese or European Built Odyssey Better?

Honda hasn’t started building Odysseys in European countries; presently, it imports Odysseys from Japan into Europe.

Therefore, this question cannot apply to the Odyssey.

Nonetheless, Japanese, Chinese, and American-made Odysseys are some of the best models out there.

All versions benefit from the same high level of quality control that’s made Honda vehicles popular for reliability.

Also read our article about driving the Honda Odyssey in snow and winter.

Where Is the Odyssey Designed?

For years, the Odyssey has been designed by Honda’s in-house team at the Honda Design Studio in Torrance, California.

Motoaki Minowa designed the first Honda Odyssey at the Honda Research and Design facility in Japan.

Where Are Odysseys Made for the Australia Market?

Honda makes Odysseys for the Australia market at its plants in Japan and China.

The Japanese automaker has no plants in Australia, hence, the importation of Odysseys into the country.

Where Are Odysseys Made for the Canada Market?

The Odyssey vehicles Honda sells in Canada come from the Lincoln, Alabama manufacturing plant in the USA.

This is surprising, given that North American production of the Honda Odyssey started first in Canada.

Honda started manufacturing the Odyssey at the Alliston, Ontario plant in 1999, but later stopped in 2004.

According to reports, Honda stopped producing the Odyssey in Canada to make room for ramped-up production of the Ridgeline truck.

Where Are Odysseys Made for the U.K Market?

Honda Odyssey models sold to those in the United Kingdom are imported from Japan and China.

Please also read our article about how long the Honda Odyssey lasts.

Is Honda Planning to Move Its Production?

Honda last moved production of the Odyssey was in 2004 when it stopped making the minivan in Canada and moved North American production solely to the US.

We expect no more moves like this, given the uncertainty of the minivan market.

The market for minivans is really small, so we don’t expect creation of additional plants to produce the Odyssey.

For example, Honda sold under 5,000 Odysseys in Canada last year. Such factors mean Honda won’t start production at the Canada plant soon.

Is Honda Hiring or Firing in the U.S.?

While Honda is not engaging in massive retrenchment, it has laid off some employees temporarily.

This is because of a drastic drop in sales that forced carmakers to cut costs.

Nevertheless, the Japanese automaker seems to be doing some hiring across its plants in the US.

Is Honda an American Company?

Although it has a strong brand presence in the United States of America, Honda remains a Japanese company.

It’s easy to confuse Honda for an American company, given that it has a big brand here.

In fact, Honda is more ‘American’ than some American brands such as Chevrolet or Ford.

We say this because Honda manufactures most of the vehicle parts it uses right here in the US.

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