History of Honda

In 1946, the Japanese automobile company Honda was founded. Its founder, Soichiro Honda, did not have the necessary engineering education, but he compensated for all the gaps with risk and accurate instinct. So, in 1947, the first Honda moped was introduced, which was a modernized bicycle with a single-stroke power unit. At first, Soichiro’s customers were his friends, who liked a reliable and compact scooter that can work in any conditions. However, after the release of the moped version with a two-stroke engine, success was not long in coming.

In 1949, the first Honda Dream motorcycle was introduced, which was equipped with a 0.1-liter engine with a power of 1/2 horsepower. In the same year, Takeo Fujisawa joins Honda and quickly takes the position of head of sales, while Honda focuses on the technological side of the brand.

By 1952, Honda is firmly established in Tokyo, and also expands its production by opening a factory for the production of Shirako engines. In the same year, a new update of the Dream motorcycle was released, which received a power unit with a capacity of 1.2 horsepower.

By 1959, the company expanded its range of motorcycles to 6 models of different classes, all local motorcycle racing competitions were won, and the brand’s share price is constantly growing, ranking tenth in value among all public companies in Japan. The turnover of motorcycles is so extensive that in 1959 the company was officially considered the largest motorcycle manufacturer on the planet, and at the end of 1959 a branch of the brand was opened in the United States of America.

Thanks to a well-thought-out development strategy of the company, all Honda plants responsible for the production of various components are separated into separate companies, and the head office in Tokyo becomes the base for the Honda conglomerate. In the first half of the 60s of the 20th century, the company consistently entered the markets of Germany, Taiwan and Belgium, bringing the total number of motorcycles produced to 10 thousand copies per day.

However, Soichiro Honda has a new dream, which, it would seem, is not destined to come true – he submitted the project of the company’s first car for discussion at the registration chamber of Japan, to which he received a strict refusal. Since the government of the country was not interested in creating another car brand that could interfere with the development of other car companies, creating internal competition.

However, in 1963, the Honda S500 compact sports coupe was released, and in 1964, a small delivery truck, the T360, saw the light. In the same year, the company made a surprise debut in Formula 1 racing, trying to use the elite motorsport competitions as an opportunity to improve the technology to create new cars. So, the team takes part in the Grand Prix of France and Germany, and also participates in the Grand Prix of the United States of America as a special guest on the occasion of the release of the millionth Honda motorcycle in the United States. However, Honda cemented its place in the championship with its first victory at the 1965 Mexican Grand Prix. In 1968, the team leaves the Formula 1 racing championship due to the death of one of its drivers, Frenchman Jo Schlesser.

In 1969, thanks to the right strategic decision, the company entered the motorcycle markets of Mexico, Argentina and Brazil, and sales of Honda cars began in Italy.

In 1972, Honda released the Honda Civic compact hatchback, which many experts called too simple, and sales were not successful at first. However, a year later, the company updates the Civic power unit, reducing fuel consumption by 45%, and in 1974 the global fuel crisis begins, which negatively affects most automakers around the world, especially in Japan, where Toyota and Nissan were forced to reduce their production volumes. At that time, retired Soichiro offers the widow to increase the production of Civic, while reducing the cost of the car, in the hope of profiting from high sales, and his decision is bearing fruit. Almost twice as many Honda cars were sold than in all previous years combined. The company’s cars were in particular demand in the United States of America, where buyers turned their attention to small and economical cars. At the peak of its success, in 1975, the company began to offer the opportunity to borrow your car, thus bypassing the need to cooperate with banks, where lending rates were too high and few buyers resorted to their services.

And in 1976, Honda releases the Accord, which is positioned as an inexpensive family car. The second generation Accord began to be produced already at Honda’s factories in the USA in 1982, providing the most attractive price in the class.

In 1981, the concern sets another record by producing more than 5 million power units, as well as entering into agreements on the transfer of its technologies for the production of economical engines with brands such as Chrysler, Ford and Suzuki.

After 2 years, Honda returns to Formula 1 racing as an engine partner of the McLaren team, resulting in 6 wins in the individual competition and the same number of victories in the Constructors’ Championship. The production of motorcycles for participation in the Paris-Dakar races, where Honda has been the sole leader for more than 20 years, also begins.

In 1986, Honda’s subsidiary Acura entered the American automobile market, specializing in the production of luxury versions of Honda cars, thus pushing such brands as Cadillac and Lincoln into the background in terms of sales. Further, the example of Honda was followed by Nissan and Toyota, founding Infiniti and Lexus, respectively.

By 1990, Honda becomes the fourth largest automaker in the United States and Canada in sales, and also ranks second in Japan and Europe, significantly ahead of all other competitors. In the same year, a completely new NSX supercar was released, which was supposed to compete with cars of the legendary Ferrari brand.

By 1995, the company has in its lineup cars of all existing classes, and also begins development in the field of alternative energy, introducing a new generation of gas and hydrogen engines, and also opens two research centers and state-of-the-art factories in the USA and China.

By 2000, the company is the third largest sales of civilian cars and motorcycles in the world, continuously investing in new technologies. Thus, in 2003, the world’s first hybrid-powered cars were introduced to the United States market, and in 2005, the first generation of eco-cars was released that used only hydrogen engines and solar panels.

In 2006, the company returns to Formula 1 again, putting up its own team with the support of the tobacco giant BAT, but apart from the only victory won in the debut year, nothing grandiose is celebrated. In 2009, the company, having already created a new car for the next Formula 1 season, unexpectedly announces its retirement from the competition, due to the fact that the consequences of the global economic crisis have affected the company’s well-being much more seriously than previously thought. And the Japanese government has promised to impose additional taxes on the brand if it continues to invest in other countries. Thus, the company left its team, selling it for $1 to Ross Brawn, who has been building the car since 2009. The team under his name wins both championships, and Honda CEO Takeo Fukui resigns due to a misguided sports strategy.

In 2010, the renewal of the entire model range of the company begins, which gradually increases the demand for Honda cars, returning it to its leading position. A year later, the company announces the start of work on second-generation electric motors, which, as promised by the Honda management in the person of the new manager Takanobu Ito, will go on sale in 2015 and will be installed on all current models of the brand. In 2012, the company opens another representative office in China, having singled out factories for the production of its products for the automotive market of Central Asia into a separate structure.

In 2013, one of the largest insurance companies in the UK, Warranty Direct, together with the Whatcar portal, conducted a study in which 38 representatives of the global automotive industry took part. According to its results, Honda cars were recognized as the most reliable. It is worth noting that the company showed such high results for the eighth year in a row. In the same study, powertrain failure probability ratios were calculated for each vehicle, and here Honda again won its honorable first place with a score of 0.29%.

In the same year, Honda cars, according to the results of crash tests conducted by the US Highway Safety Institute, were included in the list of the safest vehicles in the country. The essence of the test was that for each participant a head-on collision with a half-meter concrete curb was simulated. As a result, the safest cars included: Honda Civic 4D and 2D, Honda Odyssey, Honda Accord 2D and 4D, Acura MDX, Acura RLX and Acura TL.

In 2015, the agency J.D. power. The study involved 100 representatives of each brand. Honda with a score of 116 took the fifth position in the ranking, thereby once again confirming the high quality and safety of their cars.