It was more of a coronation than a public meeting.

Honda was in Greensburg to make an announcement as to whether they had chosen Decatur County for its newest auto-assembly plant. But, before the first word was spoken, the outcome was a forgone conclusion. The answer was yes and more than 400 people were on hand to hear it.

A raucous crowd hung on every detail as Honda representatives and local officials announced the project. The details are even bigger than anyone had imagined until Honda broke the story through the Greensburg Daily News Tuesday. The plant, just west of downtown Greensburg, will be more than 1 million square feet, cost $550 million to construct and employ 2,000 people. The plant is expected to be fully-operational and have the first vehicle roll off the assembly line in the fall of 2008. Construction on the plant will begin this fall.

Honda expects to make 200,000 four-cylinder vehicles annually but would not be specific as to which model. The major operations of the facility will include; stamping, welding, painting, plastic injection molding, sub-assembly and assembly, testing, quality assurance and shipping.

The plant’s presence in southeastern Indiana is expected to bring an influx of more than $1.5 billion, through Honda and residual income from suppliers, to the Midwest annually.

Koichi Kondo, president and CEO of American Honda, was a crowd favorite as he worked auto racing into his speech.

“We have something important in common. For more than 50 years racing has been a key part of Honda culture,” Kondo said. “Last month, the winning car at the Indianapolis 500 was powered by a Honda engine. Of course, all 33 cars were powered by Honda. I’m proud to report there wasn’t one engine failure in the race.”

Kondo continued with that theme.

“We look forward to crossing the finish line together, We are ready to join you as a team and begin this long race together,” he said. “I’m happy to say, Honda and Indiana, start your engines.”

Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, who was heralded by Honda executives as a driving force in bringing Honda to the state, also used a sports metaphor. He returned early from an 11-day trade mission to Japan and South Korea after completing his schedule.

“We announced a record number of jobs in 2005 and are already on a record pace in 2006,” he said. “You can call it official: The Indiana comeback is on the way.”

Daniels also said Honda operates in a way Hoosiers admire: “With a commitment to the highest quality in their products and in their commitment to their co-workers, their neighbors and the entire community. Today, we are thrilled not just by the numbers but by the nature of these new jobs and the company that will bring them.”

The one topic many were there to learn more about, especially guests from Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin, was what happened with the other sites. That, however, was not answered.

“Over the past several months, we never acknowledged any of the locations that we considered, and we don’t intend to do so today because we never looked at this as a competition,” Larry Jutte, senior vice president of parts and procurement. “The state borders were not a defining line. From a manufacturing perspective, we were looking for the optimal location from a logistical standpoint. We looked at a number of sites in the Midwest. Importantly, we have production operations and parts suppliers encompassing a number of states throughout the Midwest. This plant will fit very well in what is an efficient, effective and seamless network.”

The press conference, turned public show of support, also included comments from Greensburg Mayor Frank Manus and Decatur County Commissioners’ President Jerome Buening.