As Honda’s founder, Soichiro Honda, said, Honda has never shied away from hardship in their pursuit of originality. This attitude is what helped the company grow from a humble motorcycle maker to the beloved global giant we see at Honda dealers today.
As the company celebrates its 75th year, let’s look back on what transformed it into what it is today – and maybe take a look at what it’ll be in the future.
How Honda Began
As strange as it sounded, the idea of putting engines on bicycles was a big hit! While future Honda co-founders Soichiro Honda and Takeo Fujisawa weren’t the first to think of it, they certainly revolutionized the concept by creating an all-new engine and motorcycle type in the 1940s.
Honda Motor Co., Ltd was established in 1948 and established an overseas subsidiary in the United States in 1959.
The Transition from Bikes to Cars
After selling their millionth motorcycle in the United States in 1968, Honda was ready to move into a new playing field – cars.
The company sold its first car in the U.S. in 1969 – the Honda N600. From there, it was just a matter of time before Honda became a household name in the automotive business – literally.
The Creation of Some of Our Most Beloved Groundbreaking Models
While complying with the U.S. Clean Air Act in 1974, Honda made a groundbreaking Honda Civic engine without a catalytic converter.
The Honda Accord was made in 1976 and went on to become the best-selling passenger car in America.
With only 60 Honda dealers selling the company’s first luxury nameplate model in 1986, the Acura still managed to win four consecutive JD Power and Associates Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) awards.
In 1999, the first hybrid vehicle available in North America was made by Honda. It was called the Honda Insight, and it was the most fuel-efficient non-plugin vehicle of its class for the next 17 years.
And those are just a few of the things Honda created over the years!
The Push Toward Safer Engines – and Other Honda Projects
As the push came for more environmentally-safe engines, Honda led the charge by creating the world’s first fuel-efficient 4-stroke outboard marine engine for boaters in 1973.
But Honda was working on more than just engines – the company created the American Honda Foundation in 1984 to support American communities and organizations, made the humanoid robot ASIMO in 2005, moved to wind turbine energy production in 2014, and created the HondaJet in 2015.
With all that under their belt, what can the company possibly dream up in the future?
Honda’s Plans for a Bright New Future
According to Honda itself, the future is fully electric. From having three-quarters of its vehicles in all Honda dealer locations electrified by 2030 to halving its C02 emissions by 2050, Honda has big plans in place.
And what about after that? It’s anybody’s guess, but we’re sure that Honda’s associates are already imagining it!
