In 1922, a 15-year-old boy shows up for his first day at work at a small auto-repair shop in Tokyo Japan. The owner, who questioned if the boy was even meant for this type of business, assigned him to clean the workshop and look after his child instead. At the time, nobody thought much of him, neither they cared, but only because they had no idea who this kid would eventually become.
Fast forwards a few decades, and that boy, Soichiro Honda, was now competing with some of the biggest car brands in the world, while also owning the largest motorbike manufacturer. This is the story of how one poor Japanese boy, went from babysitting children to building a multibillion-dollar brand, Honda Motors.
Big Company
Public Facts about Honda Motors
Honda has been the world’s largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a production of 400 million by the end of 2019, as well as the world’s largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than 14 million internal combustion engines each year.
Honda became the second-largest Japanese automobile manufacturer in 2001. In 2015, Honda was the eighth largest automobile manufacturer in the world. Honda was the first Japanese automobile manufacturer to release a dedicated luxury brand, Acura, in 1986.
Aside from their core automobile and motorcycle businesses, Honda also manufactures garden equipment, marine engines, personal watercraft, power generators, and other products. Since 1986, Honda has been involved with artificial intelligence/robotics research and released their ASIMO robot in 2000. They have also ventured into aerospace with the establishment of GE Honda Aero Engines in 2004 and the Honda HA-420 HondaJet, which began production in 2012.
In 2013, Honda invested about 5.7% (US$6.8 billion) of its revenues into research and development. Also in 2013, Honda became the first Japanese automaker to be a net exporter from the United States, exporting 108,705 Honda and Acura models, while importing only 88,357.
Learn More about Soichiro Honda in this Documentary
Soichiro Honda is one of the most significant figures in automotive history. He overcame repeated failure to establish Honda Motor Company, a dominant force in both motorcycles and automobiles. His company was founded in the ashes of postwar Japan and grew to become the planet’s largest producer of motorcycles.
They also became champions on the racetrack on both two and four wheels. And he oversaw an unlikely entrance into the world of cars and laid the groundwork down for one of the most dominant automakers in the world. This is the story of Soichiro Honda: King of the Motorcycles.
Barchetta
