History of the

Honda Motor Company

Honda has had a long, and decorated history with its development and ultimate success. The company’s founder was a Japanese engineer and industrialist Solchiro Honda. Solchiro Honda began as a mechanic out of an automotive garage where he tuned vehicles and entered them into local races. Soon after, with financing help, he began manufacturing pistons under his first company name and eventually won a contract to supply Toyota. After world war II, the company was sold to Toyota and Solchiro Honda used the proceeds to establish the Honda Technical Research Institute. Their first motorcycle would be released in 1949, and their first automobile was released in 1963.

In the decades to come, Honda grew by leaps and bounds while facing harrowing competition from the market around them. In 1963 Honda also released the S500 sports car which was a testament to Honda’s motorcycle origins with chain-driven rear wheels. As time passed, Honda greatly expanded its product line-up and worked to establish a global market. In the mid-80’s, a growing demand for luxury vehicles generated the founding of their luxury brand Acura. In the mid-90’s however, Honda was greatly caught unprepared for the increased consumer desire for larger, more family-oriented vehicles capable of doing more than your average sports car. Seeing itself at risk for being dominated by other Japanese automakers, a quick shift in corporate structure helped the company focus on market research and consumer-based development. As a result, Honda saw the first ever Odyssey and CR-V models.

Honda has seen a huge amount of involvement in other areas besides just automotive production. The company debuted their robot ASIMO in 2005, an eleventh generation build from their R&D department, that was the first robot to ever ascend and descend a flight of stairs. The company also has had a long and successful history with motorcycles, and it continues to be one of the world’s largest motorcycle and scooter producer. The company also has developed its own airplane, the HondaJet, with cutting edge engine technology that reduces drag, increases its efficiency and decreased overall operating costs.

Honda’s possibilities are limitless as the company moves into the future. With a huge array of vehicles that suits everyone from the sports car enthusiast to the family of five, they have worked tirelessly to bring only the best to the table. Moving forward, Honda is looking to increase their R&D department to help pave the way for the future of automobiles