If you’re a driver of one of the many Honda cars on roads all over the world, you might wonder about its history. Honda stands today as one of the top automobile manufacturers in the world. The background of Honda has humble beginnings—it starts with a loan from a friend to manufacture piston rings. They didn’t achieve their success overnight, however. This company earned its title through decades of research and hard work. Here we provide a brief timeline of Honda’s history of how this car manufacturer grew from a small company to an international conglomerate and why so many people buy Hondas.
Honda History Timeline
1937 – A friend gives car enthusiast Soichiro Honda money to found Honda, and Soichiro begins to create pistons.
1941 – By this point, Honda’s piston rings are a considerable success.
1946 – Honda founds the Honda Technical Research Institute and begins producing motor bikes, which are met with critical acclaim.
1949 –The Honda Technical Research Institute is liquidated, and the resulting funds are used to create the Honda Motor Company and the first car of Honda, the Honda N600, is manufactured.
1964 – Honda stands as one the most successful motorcycle manufacturers in the world.
1973 – Honda begins exporting their vehicles to America. They also release the fuel-efficient Civic Hatchback.
1979 – Honda officially creates the first Japanese auto production facility in America.
1986 – The company distributes its Acura luxury car line in the U.S. and Canada.
1988 – Honda becomes the first company to have an American-built car exported to Japan. The Honda Accord becomes the best-selling car in the U.S.
1998 – Honda presents the Civic Natural Gas to the world.
1999 – The company releases the 2000 Honda Insight in the U.S. It’s the country’s first gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle—one gallon of gasoline can last for 70 miles.
2001 – The Civic Coup is the first car to receive a 5-Star Safety Rating from the NTHSA.
2008 – Honda releases its first hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, the FCX Clarity, in the United States.
2012 – The global sales for Honda vehicles officially reach over 1 million.
Today – Honda remains one of the top vehicle manufacturing companies in the world. They maintain their title by constantly evaluating consumer needs as they move into the future. The company hopes to distribute solely electrical vehicles by 2025.
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