Business Facilities magazine’s Rankings Report 2011 puts Ohio second in the Midwest and among the “10 best states” for strength in vehicle manufacturing, a press release said Wednesday.

Among Ohio’s Midwest neighbors, Michigan ranked first in the Midwest (6 in top 10), followed by Ohio (7 in top 10) and Indiana (10 in the top 10).

The top 10, according to the magazine, are: Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia, Kentucky, Alabama, Michigan, Ohio, Mississippi, Texas and Indiana.

In 2010, 68 percent of North American light vehicle production took place in Ohio or within 500 miles (805 kilometers) of the state’s borders, according to a release sent by the Ohio Business Development Coalition. Second only to Michigan in motor vehicle assembly and parts operation, more than 72,000 people are employed at motor vehicle assembly and parts plants in Ohio, the release said.

Of note recently: Chrysler is investing $72 million at its Toledo machining plant; General Motors is investing $38 million at its Toledo transmission plant, and Honda of America recently announced more than $355 million of investments in its Ohio facilities, which total 13,400 employees, including more than 1,000 in and from the Dayton area.

The state’s six high-volume light vehicle plants produced over 1.1 million vehicles in 2010 representing 13 different models totaling one-seventh of U.S. output, the coalition said. These include over 100,000 each of some of the nation’s best-sellers: Honda Accord, Honda CR-V, Jeep Wrangler, and Ford Econoline vans.

The report can be viewed at http://businessfacilities.com/special-report/2011-state-rankings-report/.