Timmonsville, S.C. – Last May, Honda of South Carolina rolled out production on its newest side-by-side all-terrain vehicle, the Pioneer 500. The $24 million investment led to increased production and increased sales for the Timmonsville plant in 2014.
Assistant manager Michele Pridgen said side-by-side vehicle production increases brought 80 new jobs to the plant last year, with 50 of those directly stemming from the Pioneer 500.
She said if the demand for the multi-passenger vehicle continues to increase, HSC anticipates continued side-by-side production increases in 2015.
To date, the Timmonsville plant has produced more than 25,000 side-by-side units, with a little more than 10,000 in 2014 alone.
The Pioneer 500 took only 18 months to develop and produce, making it the fastest drawing-board-to-production project in Honda Motor history.
Honda said it increased side-by-side production to meet growth in the all-terrain vehicle market, and now the Timmonsville plant has the capacity to produce 266,000 ATVs each year.
The plant currently fully manufactures nine different single-passenger ATV models, and three side-by-side models, designed to carry multiple passengers.
The plant has produced all-terrain vehicles for nearly 17 years and is approaching its 3 millionth single-passenger unit produced.
The initial 200-employee, $30 million, 200,000-square-foot plant marked the beginning of Honda of South Carolina's significant growth in Florence County. In 2015, the plant has grown to more than 550,000 square feet. It employs more than 900 people and represents a cumulative investment of over $340 million.
In 2014, the Timmonsville site was recognized with numerous awards, including the South Carolina Environmental Excellence Program Award and the Honda Manufacturing Excellence Award.
