What is Honda? - Japanese Automaker

Honda Logo

1. What is Honda?

Honda is a Japanese automaker that is focused on advanced tech automobile products. Honda does manufacture automobile products including passenger vehicles, motorcycles, aircraft, and power generating equipment.

Honda products are with the latest technologies to meet the efficient and user-friendly experience to the end consumer. Honda's sales are majorly from the North American market. Honda does own a luxury automobile brand which is Acura. Apart from the Luxury automobile division, Honda does have Aircraft Company, Automobiles, and Motorcycles division.

2. History

Honda was founded by Soiciro Honda in October 1946. Soiciro was an automobile enthusiast who had passion built in to develop and tune cars to perform better in races. Before starting his own business, Soiciro was working for a local garage named Art Shokai Garage. While Soiciro was working there, Art Shokai garage was manufacturing piston rings for Toyota which was the largest automobile in Japan at the time. With the quality failure in the piston rings, Toyota revoked the contract which had with Art Shokai garage for the supply of piston rings.

After learning the lessons which happened to Art Shokai garage due to quality issues that they had, Mr. Soiciro kept exploring the garages and Toyota's manufacturing facilities to gain more insights to know how to manage quality in the production line. Honda was able to win a contract from Toyota to manufacture piston rings in mass quantity with automated methods.

As the initial stage of the business, Honda manufactured motorized bicycles with 12 men working in the manufacturing facility with the third party manufactured engines in 50cc.  Honda expanded the business slowly and steadily by manufacturing automobile vehicles and many more.

Honda is publicly traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange and New York Stock Exchange. Honda is currently headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan.