Brief history of the Honda company
Honda Motor Co., Ltd. — Japanese company, manufacturer of cars, aircraft, motorcycles and power equipment. It has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines, and the eighth largest automobile manufacturer in the world. In addition, it produces boat and ship engines, electric generators, scooters, garden equipment, jet aircraft and more.
The first Japanese automaker to launch a dedicated luxury brand, «Acura», in 1986. The main production is carried out in Japan, the USA, India and Brazil. «Honda» has three joint ventures in China – «Honda China», «Dongfeng Honda» and «Guangqi Honda». In 2016, the company's total income amounted to more than 130 billion dollars, net profit was more than 3 billion dollars. The number of employees is more than 200 thousand people.
The founder of the company is Soichiro Honda. All his life the founder he was interested in cars. With funding from his friend Kato Shichiro, Honda founded «Tōkai Seiki» in 1937 to make piston rings in a garage and won a contract to supply piston rings to «Toyota». He soon lost the contract due to poor quality. After attending engineering schools and visiting factories all over Japan, by 1941 «Honda» was able to mass-produce piston rings acceptable to «Toyota».
«Tōkai Seiki» was placed under the control of the Ministry of Trade and Industry at the start of World War II, and Soichiro Honda was demoted to senior managing director after «Toyota» received a 40% stake in the company. During the war, the company focused on the war effort, helping other companies automate the production of propellers for military aircraft. In 1944, the Yamashita plant was destroyed by bombing, and the Itawa plant was also destroyed by an earthquake on January 13, 1945. Honda sold the remnants of the company to Toyota after the war for 450,000 yen and invested the proceeds in the Honda Technical Research Institute in October 1946.
With a staff of 12 people working in a 16 m2 hut, they built and sold homemade motorized bicycles, using a stock of 500 «Tohatsu» 50 cm3 two-stroke engines used during the war to make generators. When the engines ran out, «Honda» started making their own copy of the «Tohatsu» engine and supplying them to customers to install on their bikes. In 1949, the Honda Institute of Technical Research went into liquidation for ¥1,000,000 (about US$5,000). These funds were used to register «Honda Motor Co., Ltd.».
Honda's first motorcycle with a frame and engine was a 1949 «D-Type» dubbed the «Dream». The company has grown in a short time to become the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer. The first production car was the «T360» mini-pickup, which went on sale in August 1963. In October of the same year, the first sports car «S500» with a chain drive rear wheels appeared.
Honda currently produces over 4 million vehicles worldwide. The car line covers almost all niches in the market of passenger cars, SUVs and light commercial vehicles. The most famous models of mid-size and compact family sedans and hatchbacks are «Accord», «Amaze» and «Civic», subcompact models are represented by «Fit/Jazz» and «City», executive class is «Legend», crossovers and SUVs are «Pilot», «CR-V», «HR-V», «BR-V» and «Avancier», as well as minivans named «Elysion», «Freed», «Mobilio», «Odyssey», «StepWGN», as well as other less common models.
Methods for repairing Honda cars
Honda motorcycles have an excellent reputation around the world for the quality and are in great demand. The quality of cars is trying to keep up and it works. The «Honda» plant in Suzuka (Japan) in 2012 was named the best in the world, and the line where «Fit» and «CR-V» are produced received the highest Platinum award. The plant in Marysville (USA), where the «Accord» and «Acura TL» are produced, received a Silver Quality Award. Other factories in different countries also received awards for high quality. The American monthly magazine «Consumer Reports» confirms the high quality of Honda cars by regularly giving them high ratings.
Despite this, the car is a complex mechanism that can break down due to mechanical wear of the components or due to the carelessness of the driver (late maintenance). Repair of Honda cars can and is best entrusted to the official service. But situations are different. It is possible that there is no service in your city or you are embarrassed by the high maintenance costs for your Honda car. You can entrust the car to universal service stations (STO) or a private person doing repairs in his garage. If you have locksmith skills, tools, a place in the garage and a desire, then you can repair and maintain your Honda yourself. Now, using the Internet, ordering any original spare part or a cheaper analogue is not a problem. On our site you will find instructions, manuals and other necessary information for the maintenance and repair of Japanese «Honda» cars.