The history of the automobile brand Honda

Content

History of Honda
Company Overview
Owners and management
activity
Models

One of the well-known manufacturers in the motor vehicle market is Honda. Under this name, the production of two- and four-wheeled vehicles is carried out, which can easily compete with leading car manufacturers. Thanks to their high reliability and excellent design, the vehicles of this brand are popular all over the world.

Since the 50s of the last century, the brand has been the largest manufacturer of motor vehicles. The company is also known for the development of reliable powertrains, the circulation of which reaches 14 million copies per year.

As of 2001, the company ranked second in terms of production among car manufacturers. The company is the ancestor of the world's first luxury brand Acura.

In the company's product catalog, the buyer can find motors for boats, garden equipment, electric generators powered by internal combustion engines, jet skis and other mechanics.

In addition to cars and motorcycles, Honda has been developing robotic mechanisms since the 86th. One of the brand's achievements is the Asimo robot. In addition, the company manufactures aircraft. In 2000, the concept of a jet-powered business-class aircraft was shown.

History of Honda

Soichiro Honda loved cars all his life. At one time he worked in the Art Shokai garage. There, a young mechanic was tuning racing cars. He was also given the opportunity to take part in races.

1937 - Honda receives financial support from an acquaintance, which he uses to create his own mini-production based on the workshop where he previously worked. There, a mechanic made piston rings for engines. One of the first large customers was Toyota, but the cooperation did not last long, as the company was not satisfied with the quality of the products.
1941 - After thoroughly familiarizing himself with the quality control procedure that was carried out by Toyota, Soichiro built a real plant. Now the production capacity could produce satisfying products.
1943 - Following the acquisition of 40 percent of the newly minted Tokai Seiki by Toyota, the director of Honda was demoted and the plant was used to meet the country's military needs.
1946 - With the proceeds from the sale of the remains of his property, which was almost completely destroyed in the war and in the subsequent earthquake, Soichiro creates the Honda Research Institute. On the basis of the established small business, a staff of 12 employees is engaged in the assembly of motorbikes. Tohatsu motors were used as power units. Over time, the firm developed its own engine, similar to the one used previously.
1949 - the company was liquidated, and with the proceeds a company was created, which was named Honda Motor Co. The brand employs two experienced employees who have an understanding of the intricacies of the financial side of doing business in the auto world. At the same time, the first full-fledged motorcycle model appeared, which was named Dream.
1950 - Honda creates a new four-stroke engine that delivers twice the power of its previous counterparts. This made the company's products popular, thanks to which, by the 54th year, the brand's products occupied 15 percent of the Japanese market.
1951-1959 no prestigious motorcycle race took place without the participation of Honda motorcycles, which took first places in those competitions.
1959 - Honda becomes one of the leading motorcycle manufacturers. The company's annual profit is already $ 15 million. In the same year, the company rapidly conquers the American market with very cheap, but more powerful devices compared to local copies.
1960-1965 sales revenue in the American market increases from $ 500 to $ 77 million per year.
1963 - The company becomes a car manufacturer with the first car, the T360. It was the first kei-car, which laid the foundation for the development of this direction, which is very popular among Japanese motorists due to its small engine volume.
1986 - a separate Acura division is created, under the leadership of which the production of premium cars begins.
1993 - the brand manages to avoid the takeover of Mitsubishi, which has gained a large scale.
1997 - the company expands the geography of its activities by building factories in Turkey, Brazil, India, Indonesia and Vietnam.
2004 - another subsidiary of Aero appears. The division develops jet engines for aircraft.
2006 - Under the leadership of Honda, the Aircraft division appears, the main profile of which is aerospace. At the company's plant, the creation of the first luxury aircraft for individuals begins, deliveries of which started in 2016.
2020 - announced that the two companies (GM and Honda) will form an alliance. The start of cooperation between the departments is scheduled for the first half of 2021.

Company Overview

The main office is located in Japan, Tokyo. Production facilities are scattered throughout the world, thanks to which auto, motorcycle and other equipment is available anywhere in the world.

Here are the locations of the main divisions of the Japanese brand:

Honda Motor Company - Torrance, CA;
Honda Inc - Ontario, Canada;
Honda Siel Cars; Hero Honda Motorcycles - India;
Honda China; Guangqi Honda and Dongfeng Honda - China;
Boon Siew Honda - Malaysia;
Honda Atlas - Pakistan.

And the brand's factories are concentrated in such places of the world:

4 factories - in Japan;
7 plants in the USA;
One is in Canada;
Two factories in Mexico;
One is in England, but plans to close it in 2021;
One assembly shop in Turkey, whose fate is identical to the previous production;
One factory in China;
5 factories in India;
Two in Indonesia;
One factory in Malaysia;
3 factories in Thailand;
Two in Vietnam;
One in Argentina;
Two factories in Brazil.

Owners and management

The main shareholders of Honda are three companies:

Black Rock;
Japanese bank Trustee Services;
Financial group Mitsubishi UFJ.

Throughout the history of the brand, the presidents of the company have been:

1948-73 - Soitiro Honda;
1973-83 - Kiesi Kawashima;
1983-90 - Tadasi Kume;
1990-98 - Nobuhiko Kawamoto;
1998-04 - Hiroyuki Yesino;
2004-09 - Takeo Fukui;
2009-15 - Takanobu Ito;
2015 "Takahiro Hatigo."

activity

Here are the industries in which the brand has excelled:

Motorcycle transport production. This includes vehicles with a small volume of internal combustion engines, sports models, four-wheeled motor vehicles.
Manufacturing of machines. The division produces passenger cars, pickups, luxury and subcompact models.
Providing financial services. This division provides loans and makes it possible to purchase goods by installments.
Manufacturing of business jet aircraft. The company's arsenal so far has only one model of the HondaJet aircraft with two motors of its own design.
Mechanical products for agriculture, industrial and domestic needs, for example, production of lawn mowers, manual snow machines, etc.

Models

Here are the key models that rolled off the brand's conveyors:

1947 - A-Type scooter appeared. It was a bicycle with a two-stroke internal combustion engine installed on it;
1949 - full-fledged Dream motorcycle;
1958 - one of the most successful models - Super Cub;
1963 - start of production of a car, made in the back of a pickup - T360;
1963 - the first sports car S500 appears;
1971 - the company creates an original motor with a compound system, which allowed the unit to comply with environmental standards (the principle of the system is described in a separate review);
1973 - The Civic makes a breakthrough in the automotive industry. The reason was that other manufacturers were forced to curtail production because their cars were too gluttonous in the context of the outbreak of the oil crisis, and the Japanese manufacturer provided buyers with an equally productive, but very economical car;
1976 - the next model appears, which is still popular - the Accord;
1991 - Production of the iconic NSX sports car begins. The car was also innovative in a way. Since the body was made in a monocoque design made of aluminum, and the gas distribution system received a phase change mechanism. The development received the VTEC marking;
1993 - To expose rumors of the company's plight, the brand creates family-friendly models - Odyssey and the first CR-V crossover.