Honda Motor Company

Published on May 2016 | Categories: Types, Comics | Downloads: 31 | Comments: 0 | Views: 401
of 6
Download PDF   Embed   Report

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 and power generators, amongst others. Since 1986, Honda has been involved with artificial intelligence/robotics...

Comments

Content

Honda Motor Company, Limited is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles. Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than 1 million internal combustion engines each year. Honda became the second! largest Japanese automobile manufacturer in "##1 Honda was the eighth largest automobile manufacturer in the world behind $eneral %otors, &olkswagen $roup, 'oyota, Hyundai %otor $roup, (ord, )issan, and *+, in "#11. Honda was the first Japanese automobile manufacturer to release a dedicated lu-ury brand, ,cura, in 19./. ,side from their core automobile and motorcycle businesses, Honda also manufactures garden e0uipment, marine engines, personal watercraft and power generators, amongst others. +ince 19./, Honda has been involved with artificial intelligence1robotics research and released their ,+2%3 robot in "###. 'hey have also ventured into aerospace with the establishment of $4 Honda ,ero 4ngines in "## and the Honda H,! "# HondaJet, which began production in "#1". 2n "#15, Honda invests about 5.67 of its revenues in research and development 8/.. billons of dollars9.

History
,s a young man, Honda's founder, +oichiro Honda 8Honda Sōichirō9 816 )ovember 19#/ : 5 ,ugust 19919 had an interest in automobiles. He worked as a mechanic at the ,rt +hokai garage, where he tuned cars and entered them in races. 2n 1956, with financing from his ac0uaintance ;ato +hichir<, Honda founded '<kai +eiki 84astern +ea *recision %achine =ompany9 to make piston rings working out of the ,rt +hokai garage. ,fter initial failures, '<kai +eiki won a contract to supply piston rings to 'oyota, but lost the contract due to the poor 0uality of their products ,fter attending engineering school without graduating, and visiting factories around Japan to better understand 'oyota's 0uality control processes, by 19 1 Honda was able to mass!produce piston rings acceptable to 'oyota, using an automated process that could employ even unskilled wartime laborers. '<kai +eiki was placed under control of the %inistry of =ommerce and 2ndustry 8called the %inistry of %unitions after 19 59 at the start of >orld >ar 22, and +oichiro Honda was demoted from president to senior managing director after 'oyota took a #7 stake in the company. Honda also aided the war effort by assisting other companies in automating the production of military aircraft propellers. 'he relationships Honda cultivated with personnel at 'oyota, )aka?ima ,ircraft =ompany and the 2mperial Japanese )avy would be instrumental in the postwar period. , @+ A!"9 bomber attack destroyed '<kai +eiki's Bamashita plant in 19 , and the 2tawa plant collapsed in the 19 5 %ikawa earth0uake, and +oichiro Honda sold the salvageable remains of the company to 'oyota after the war for C 5#,###, and used the proceeds to found the Honda 'echnical Desearch 2nstitute in 3ctober 19 /. >ith a staff of 1" men working in a 1/ m" 816# s0 ft9 shack, they built and sold improvised motoriEed bicycles, using a supply of 5## two!stroke 50 cc 'ohatsu war surplus

radio generator engines. >hen the engines ran out, Honda began building their own copy of the 'ohatsu engine, and supplying these to customers to attach their bicycles. 'his was the Honda %odel ,, nicknamed the Aata Aata for the sound the engine made. 'he first complete motorcycle, with both the frame and engine made by Honda, was the 19 9 %odel F, the first Honda to go by the name Fream. Honda %otor =ompany grew in a short time to become the world's largest manufacturer of motorcycles by 19/ . 'he first production automobile from Honda was the '5/# mini pick!up truck, which went on sale in ,ugust 19/5. *owered by a small 55/!cc straight! gasoline engine, it was classified under the cheaper ;ei car ta- bracket. 'he first production car from Honda was the +5## sports car, which followed the '5/# into production in 3ctober 19/5. 2ts chain!driven rear wheels pointed to Honda's motorcycle origins. 3ver the ne-t few decades, Honda worked to e-pand its product line and e-panded operations and e-ports to numerous countries around the world. 2n 19./, Honda introduced the successful ,cura brand to the ,merican market in an attempt to gain ground in the lu-ury vehicle market. 'he year 1991 saw the introduction of the Honda )+G supercar, the first all! aluminum monoco0ue vehicle that incorporated a mid!engine &/ with variable!valve timing. =43 'adashi ;ume was succeeded by )obuhiko ;awamoto in 199#. ;awamoto was selected over +hoichiro 2rima?iri, who oversaw the successful establishment of Honda of ,merica %anufacturing, 2nc. in %arysville, 3hio. Aoth ;awamoto and 2rima?iri shared a friendly rivalry within Honda, and 2rima?iri would resign in 199" due to health issues. (ollowing the death of +oichiro Honda and the departure of 2rima?iri, Honda found itself 0uickly being outpaced in product development by other Japanese automakers and was caught off!guard by the truck and sport utility vehicle boom of the 199#s, all which took a toll on the profitability of the company. Japanese media reported in 199" and 1995 that Honda was at serious risk of an unwanted and hostile takeover by %itsubishi %otors, who at the time was a larger automaker by volume and flush with profits from their successful *a?ero and Fiamante. ;awamoto acted 0uickly to change Honda's corporate culture, rushing through market!driven product development that resulted in recreational vehicles such as the 3dyssey and the =D!&, and a refocusing away from some of the numerous sedans and coupes that were popular with Honda's engineers but not with the buying public. 'he most shocking change to Honda came when ;awamoto ended Honda's successful participation in (ormula 3ne after the 199" season, citing costs in light of the takeover threat from %itsubishi as well as the desire to create a more environmentally!friendly company image. Hater, 1995 gave rise to the Honda ,ircraft =ompany with the goal of producing ?et aircraft under Honda's name.

Corporate profile and divisions
Honda head0uarters building in %inato, 'okyo

Honda is head0uartered in %inato, 'okyo, Japan. 'heir shares trade on the 'okyo +tock 4-change and the )ew Bork +tock 4-change, as well as e-changes in 3saka, )agoya, +apporo, ;yoto, (ukuoka, Hondon, *aris and +witEerland. 'he company has assembly plants around the globe. 'hese plants are located in =hina, the @nited +tates, *akistan, =anada, 4ngland, Japan, Aelgium, AraEil, %I-ico, )ew Jealand, %alaysia, 2ndonesia, 2ndia, 'hailand, 'urkey, 'aiwan, *erK and ,rgentina. ,s of July "#1#, .9 percent of Honda and ,cura vehicles sold in the @nited +tates were built in )orth ,merican plants, up from ."." percent a year earlier. 'his shields profits from the yenLs advance to a 15!year high against the dollar. Honda's Net Sales and Other Operating Revenue by Geographi al Regions in !""# Geographi Region $otal revenue %in millions of &' Japan 1,/.1,19# )orth ,merica 5,9.#,.6/ 4urope 1,"5/,656 ,sia 1,".5,15 3thers 9#5,1/5 ,merican Honda %otor =ompany is based in 'orrance, =alifornia. Honda Dacing =orporation 8HD=9 is Honda's motorcycle racing division. Honda =anada 2nc. is head0uartered in %arkham, 3ntario, their manufacturing division, Honda of =anada %anufacturing, is based in ,lliston, 3ntario. Honda has also created ?oint ventures around the world, such as Honda +iel =ars and Hero Honda %otorcycles in 2ndia, $uangEhou Honda and Fongfeng Honda in =hina, Aoon +iew Honda in %alaysia and Honda ,tlas in *akistan. (ollowing the Japanese earth0uake and tsunami in %arch "#11 Honda announced plans to halve production at its @; plants. 'he decision was made to put staff at the +windon plant on a "!day week until the end of %ay as the manufacturer struggled to source supplies from Japan. 2t's thought around "",5## cars were produced during this period.

Leadership
Name Soi hiro Honda )iyoshi )a*ashima $adashi )ume Nobuhi+o )a*amoto Hiroyu+i (oshino $a+eo ,u+ui $a+anobu -to (ears 19 .:1965 1965:19.5 19.5:199# 199#:199. 199.:"## "## :"##9 "##9M "#1

.rodu ts
/utomobiles
(or a list of vehicles, see Hist of Honda vehicles. "#11 Honda JaEE 82ndian rampart9

"##. Honda ,ccord 8@+,!=anada9

4ighth $eneration Honda =ivic 8,sian &ersion9

Honda's global lineup consists of the (it, =ivic, ,ccord, 2nsight, =D!&, =D!J, Hegend and two versions of the 3dyssey, one for )orth ,merica, and a smaller vehicle sold internationally. ,n early proponent of developing vehicles to cater to different needs and markets worldwide, Honda's lineup varies by country and may feature vehicles e-clusive to that region. , few e-amples are the latest Honda 3dyssey minivan and the Didgeline, Honda's first light!duty uni!body pickup truck. Aoth were designed and engineered primarily in )orth ,merica and are produced there. 3ther e-ample of e-clusive models includes the Honda =ivic five!door hatchback sold in 4urope. Honda's automotive manufacturing ambitions can be traced back to 19/5, with the Honda '5/#, a kei car truck built for the Japanese market. 'his was followed by the two!door roadster, the Honda +5## also introduced in 19/5. 2n 19/5, Honda built a two!door commercial delivery van, called the Honda H6##. Honda's first four!door sedan was not the ,ccord, but the air!cooled, four!cylinder, gasoline!powered Honda 15## in 19/9. 'he =ivic was a hatchback that gained wide popularity internationally, but it wasn't the first two!door hatchback built. 'hat was the Honda )5/#, another Kei car that was adapted for international

sale as the )/##. 'he =ivic, which appeared in 196" and replaced the )/## also had a smaller sibling that replaced the air!cooled )5/#, called the Honda Hife that was water! cooled. 'he Honda Hife represented Honda's efforts in competing in the kei car segment, offering sedan, delivery van and small pick!up platforms on a shared chassis. 'he Hife +tep&an had a novel approach that, while not initially a commercial success, appears to be an influence in vehicles with the front passengers sitting behind the engine, a large cargo area with a flat roof and a liftgate installed in back, and utiliEing a transversely installed engine with a front! wheel!drive powertrain. ,s Honda entered into automobile manufacturing after >orld >ar 22, where Japanese manufacturers such as 'oyota and )issan had heritage before the war, it appears that Honda instilled a sense of doing things a little differently than its Japanese competitors. 2ts mainstay products, like the ,ccord and =ivic, have always employed front!wheel!drive powertrain implementation, which is currently a long held Honda tradition. Honda also installed new technologies into their products, first as optional e0uipment, then later standard, like anti lock brakes, speed sensitive power steering, and multi!port fuel in?ection in the early 19.#s. 'his desire to be the first to try new approaches is evident with the creation of the first Japanese lu-ury chain ,cura, and was also evident with the all aluminum, mid!engined sports car, the Honda )+G, which also introduced variable valve timing technology, Honda calls &'4=. 'he =ivic is a line of compact cars developed and manufactured by Honda. 2n )orth ,merica, the =ivic is the second!longest continuously running nameplate from a Japanese manufacturerN only its perennial rival, the 'oyota =orolla, introduced in 19/., has been in production longer. 'he =ivic, along with the ,ccord and *relude, comprised Honda's vehicles sold in )orth ,merica until the 199#s, when the model lineup was e-panded. Having gone through several generational changes, the =ivic has become larger and more upmarket, and it currently slots between the (it and ,ccord. Honda produces =ivic hybrid, a hybrid electric vehicle that competes with the 'oyota *rius, and also produces the 2nsight and =D!J. 2n "##., Honda increased global production to meet demand for small cars and hybrids in the @.+. and emerging markets. 'he company shuffled @.+. production to keep factories busy and boost car output, while building fewer minivans and sport utility vehicles as light truck sales fell. 2ts first entrance into the pickup segment, the light duty Didgeline, won 'ruck of the Bear from Motor Trend magaEine in "##/. ,lso in "##/, the redesigned =ivic won =ar of the Bear from the magaEine, giving Honda a rare double win of %otor 'rend honors. 2t is reported that Honda plans to increase hybrid sales in Japan to more than "#7 of its total sales in fiscal year "#11, from 1 ..7 in previous year. (ive of @nited +tates 4nvironmental *rotection ,gency's top ten most fuel!efficient cars from 19. to "#1# comes from Honda, more than any other automakers. 'he five models areO "###:"##/ Honda 2nsight 855 mpg!@+ or . H11## kmN / mpg!imp combined9, 19./:19.6 Honda =ivic =oupe H( 8 / mpg!@+ or 5.1 H11## kmN 55 mpg!imp combined9, 199 :1995 Honda =ivic hatchback &G 8 5 mpg!@+ or 5.5 H11## kmN 5" mpg!imp combined9, "##/: Honda =ivic

Hybrid 8 " mpg!@+ or 5./ H11## kmN 5# mpg!imp combined9, and "#1#: Honda 2nsight 8 1 mpg! 9 mpg!imp combined9. 'he ,=444 has also rated the =ivic $G as the @+ or 5.6 H11## kmN greenest car in ,merica for seven consecutive years.

Sponsor Documents

Or use your account on DocShare.tips

Hide

Forgot your password?

Or register your new account on DocShare.tips

Hide

Lost your password? Please enter your email address. You will receive a link to create a new password.

Back to log-in

Close