DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) – Honda’s oldest auto plant in the U.S marks 40 years of production in Marysville. The plant unveiled a car that will be the first step toward its electric vehicle production in the state.

The Marysville Honda plant unveiled its 2023 Honda Accord during a celebration at the plant Thursday.

“We’re kind of using this Accord as our bridge going over into that battery electric,” 2023 Accord Engineering Project Leader Scott Roe said. “So we kind of see this as we are going to be making 50 percent hybrids of these things, so our customers can get used to the hybrids, understand how those hybrids work.”

Last October, Honda announced it would invest $700 million to retool its facilities in Marysville, Shelby County and Logan County to prepare for the switch to electric.

“As we begin to transition to electric, it’s important for these plants to stay in Ohio and for the retrofitting to occur in Ohio,” Governor Mike DeWine said.

Honda is investing an additional $3.5 billion to build an E.V. battery plant in Fayette County.

It’s estimated these investments combined will create more than 2,500 jobs in Ohio.

“These are jobs, these are good paying jobs,” DeWine said. “That really has a tremendous impact on the economy, a tremendous impact on the community.”

DeWine said the Marysville plant is an example of the transformation to come in Ohio.

“It’s transformed this part of the state, and as we look forward to the battery plant being in Fayette County, in the Jeffersonville area, it’s going to transform that part of the state as well,” DeWine said.

DeWine said large investments by companies like Honda and Intel have the potential to attract other related industries to set up in surrounding communities.