Foundation: 1946
Headquarters: Minato Ward, Tokyo
President: Toshihiro Mibe
Executive Summary: Honda is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate primarily known for manufacturing automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment. The company’s origins trace back to when founder Soichiro Honda developed the idea of using Imperial Army generators as auxiliary power for bicycles. After modifying over five hundred engines, Honda’s power bicycles became an instant success. Driven by high demand, he began researching and developing his own engines, leading to the completion of the A-Type engine in 1947. The following year, Honda Motor Company was incorporated, initially producing auxiliary motors for bicycles in a small factory in Hamamatsu.
Honda’s first entirely original product was the “Dream” D-Type motorcycle. In the 1950s, the company expanded into farming machinery, creating the H-Type farming engine and the F150 tiller. The decade also saw the introduction of the Super Cub, a popular scooter. Honda marked its first overseas venture by establishing the American Honda Motor Company in Los Angeles, California, and later opened its first overseas production plant in Belgium. During this period, Honda ventured into motorcycle racing, dominating the top five spots in the 125cc and 250cc classes by 1961. The Suzuka Circuit, Japan’s first international racing track, was completed in 1962.
Honda entered the automobile industry in 1963 with the T360 mini-truck and the S500 sports car, followed by its debut in Formula One racing at the 1964 German Grand Prix. Its Formula One car, the RA271, clinched its first victory in Mexico the next year. The 1970s introduced the Honda Accord and Civic, and Honda became the first manufacturer globally to fully comply with the US Clean Air Act’s stricter emissions regulations.
In 1981, Honda launched the world’s first car navigation system, the Electro Gyrocator, which used a helium gas gyroscope rather than GPS. The following year, Honda made Japan’s first car with the Franz System, enabling operation by people with physical disabilities, and became the first Japanese company to manufacture cars in North America. In 1986, Honda began researching compact aircraft and engines.
In the racing domain, Honda continued to set records. In the 2000s, they introduced ASIMO, a humanoid robot. Recently, all major Honda products, including motorcycles, automobiles, and power equipment, have each surpassed the hundred million sales milestone. Honda’s annual revenue is in the range of US$130 billion.
