Archive for the ‘Moreno Valley’ Category
The primary manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles in Japan is the Honda Company which belongs to the ‘Public Multicultural Corporation’ of the country. Since 1959, this country has been producing the largest numbers of motorcycles worldwide surpassing even the giants Nissan to become the 2nd largest manufacturers. Honda was actually the first brand from Japan to release a brand of vehicle that was dedicated to luxury and this was the Acura in the year 1986. The brand has been able to diversify and even venture into other niches like equipment, power generators, personal watercrafts and even marine engines.
The History of Honda
Soichiro Honda, the founder of Honda, had a huge interest in automobiles from the age he was born until 1991. He was just a boy when he was working at a tuning shop as one of the mechanics and it was during this time that he entered cars that he had tuned into races. The surprising fact is that Honda taught himself the engineering skills and he had built a design that he wanted Toyota to buy. The designs were initially rejected which made Honda to work harder leading him to opt for taking classes. His hard work eventually paid off, after he had been painstakingly through a lot like pawning jewelry, and he got a contract with Toyota that required him to build pistons that were destroyed from an earthquake.
There was a shortage of gasoline in the ‘World War II’ era and it was during this time that Honda started developing plans of using small engines. This is an idea that he retrieved from the bicycles that used the same principle before he later established the HTRI (Honda Technical Research Institute) in the Japanese city of Hamamatsu. The T360 was the first automobile to be produced from Japan in the summer of 1963. This car was only powered by a gasoline engine (356 cc) and owing to its size; it was categorized under the Kei Car which are cheaper automobiles. The first car that was mass produced from the company was the Honda S500 which was a very sleek sports car that was launched in the same year as the T360 but a month later. The rear wheels of the car were driven by chains and this can be traced back to Honda origins; the motorcycles.
Corporate:
The headquarters of Honda are in Minato which is located in Tokyo, Japan. The company trades its shares on the NYSE (New York Stock Exchange) and the TSE (Tokyo Stock Exchange) as well. The company experienced an amazing constant growth that saw it assembling plants worldwide in countries like the U.S, England, New Zealand, India, etc. In 2007 Honda outstanding profits (in Yen) in most of the branches and the order was as follows: Japan made 1,681,190; North America made 5,980,876; Europe made 1,236,757; Asia made 1,283,154; and the rest made 905,153. With the need of diversification, offices for this company were opened in America with the base being in Torrance, CA. The one in charge of the Canadian region, the ‘Honda Canada Inc.’ relocated to the present location that has a manufacturing division in the year 2008. Other numerous joint ventures have also been created worldwide in countries like China, India, and Pakistan.
The Perseverance of Honda
During the recession of 2008, high prices for fuel did not deter Honda from making profits and it even recorded a 1% increase in sales. Most of its competitors suffered double the amount in losses, but Honda was a brand that was still making money and that’s why sales went up for more than 20% during the same time period. The secret that Honda uses is manufacturing vehicle that are fuel efficient and are mostly small in size which makes them suitable for numerous locations. In addition to this, Honda has constantly been redesigning all of its factories so that they can have the capability of remodeling any model that is in high demand. This has ensured that they are miles ahead from their other competitors hence making them immune to any outside factors such as the recession for instance.
Marketing
The Honda located in Japan made a decision with regards to the course of action to be taken in order for capitalization through diversification can be achieved. ‘Honda Verno’ was as a result created and it was mainly involved in selling products that had extremely high levels of content and were already established. These stores sold a variety of models from this series and as time went by, the newer models were also incorporated into the list. International efforts were also put into place when Honda released numerous advertisements on the internet and also the ‘Cog’ one, which was in the year 2003. The ad was made from car parts and the engineers took them from the pre-production models that are normally used as the Accord’s models. Other adverts were produced later on like for instance the ‘Grrr Advert’ that was produced in the year 2004 and a year later, the ‘Impossible Dream advert’ followed.
Sports
When there were telecasts of motor racing, Honda advertised numerous times and in 2006 even became the FIA’s official sponsor for Channel 10. As a matter of fact, this was the only company that was involved in the racing at the Indy season later on in the same year. The adverts were aired in forms of series where Honda even claimed to have built the vehicles which won the “1972 Formula 1 Grand Prix.” Honda claimed that it did not just contribute engines alone but aerodynamic parts, chassis and other tooling which is the reason of the statement. Another marketing technique that uses sports is the partnership that Honda has with the ‘Anaheim Ducks’ and the ‘National Hockey League’ which are teams that play in the NHL. In addition to this, the company has also been sponsoring the golf tournament dubbed the ‘Honda Classic’ and the ‘Major League Soccer.’
Honda is a Japanese multinational corporation popularly known for their quality automobiles including motorcycles. Since 1959, it has been the world’s biggest manufacturer of motorcycle and internal combustion engines. Honda topped Nissan in 2001 as the second largest automobile manufacturer. In August 2008, by topping Chrysler, Honda became the fourth biggest automobile company in the United States. Today, Honda is the sixth biggest automobile in the world.
Apart from their core motorcycle and automobile businesses Honda also produces marine engines, garden equipment, power generators, and personal watercraft. In addition, the company ventures into artificial intelligence\robotics research released in 2000; they also established aero engines in 2004, and quite recently Honda jet which is expected to be released in 2011. They spent about 5% of their income in Research & Development. This multinational corporation was founded by Soichiro Honda, a self-taught engineer.
The headquarters of Honda is in Minato, Tokyo, Japan but it has its assembly plants across the globe. These plants are located in the United States, China, Pakistan, England, Canada, Japan, Brazil, Belgium, New Zealand, India, Indonesia, Turkey, Thailand, and Peru.
Honda Brands to Choose From
Honda’s global lineup involves the fit, Accord, Civic, Insight, Odyssey and CR-V. These Honda selections vary from country to country. To cite few examples, the latest Ridgeline and Acura TL luxury sedan were both engineered in North America and are majorly produced and sold there.
The Honda Civic is a very small car manufactured and developed by Honda. In North America, it is the second-largest continuously running nameplate coming from a Japanese manufacturer; Toyota corolla introduced in 1968 is only its perennial rival. The civic, along with Prelude and Accord are some of the Honda’s cars marketed up to 1990 when the model line was increased in North America. Having passed several generational changes, the civic has become more up market and larger and presently it slots between the Accord and Fit.
In September 2008, Honda increased its global production so as to meet its demand for small cars in emerging markets and the United States. This manufacturing company is trying to boost car output and keep factories busy, while building sport utility vehicles and fewer minivans as light truck sales decline.
In 2006, when it was introduced in the pickup segment, the Ridgeline won the ‘Truck of the Year’ from motor trend magazine. Also in the same year, the redesigned civic also won ‘Car of the Year’ from the same magazine, giving Honda a rare dual wins of motor trend honors.
It is estimated that Honda plans to expand hybrid sales in Japan to over 20% of its overall sales in fiscal year 2011, starting from 14.8% last year.
According to an honest attestation from Five of United states Environmental protection agency, from 1984 to 2010, all the top ten most fuel-efficient vehicles came from Honda. The 5 models are: Honda Civic Coupe HF 1986-1987, Honda Insight 2000-2006, Honda Civic Hatchback VX 1994-1995, Honda Civic Hybrid 2006, and 2010 Honda Insight.
Also see: Honda sells more than just Cars.
Honda sells more than just Cars
There are many other types of motor powered devices that Honda sells, other than cars. In this article, we will take a look at some of the other things Honda has its name on.
Motorsports
Honda has also been active in motorsports, for example superbike racing, motorcycle grand prix and others.
Alternative and Electric Vehicles
Honda over the years has manufactured flexible fuel, compressed natural gas, hydrogen fuel cells and hybrid electric vehicles.
Flexible Fuel
In late 2006, Honda’s Brazilian subsidiary Moto Honda da Amazonia released flexible fuel versions for the Honda fit and Honda civic. By March 2009, it launched again the first flex-fuel motorcycle, produced by same Brazilian subsidiary.
Compressed Natural Gas
The Honda Civic GX is recognized as the only accredited-built natural gas vehicle (NGV). It hit the market in 1998; this car looks like the present Honda Civic LX, but cannot run on gasoline. In 2001, the U.S. environmental protection agency rated Honda Civic GX the vehicle with finest-burning internal combustion engine.
Hydrogen Fuel Cells
In 2008, Honda manufactured a hybrid hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, FCX clarity. This car combines oxygen and hydrogen from ordinary air to produce electricity for an electric motor. It is more efficient than gas-electric vehicle.
Hybrid Electric Vehicles
In the 2009, Honda commercialized the first hybrid electric vehicle sold in the U.S market (the Honda insight); just a month before Toyota Prius was introduced. Initially, it was sold for $20,000 US. It recorded total global sales of 18,000 vehicles.
Besides the fabrication of cars, Honda is also producing other types of automotives. Below are some of them.
Motorcycle
Ever since its existence in 1955, Honda has been the largest motorcycle manufacturer in Japan. At its zenith in 1982, Honda produced about 3 million motorcycles yearly. But this figure declined in 2006 to about 550,000 but was still greater than its three household competitors. It is remarkable to note that Honda’s entrance into the U.S motorcycle market in the 1960s is taking as a case study for the teaching of introductory strategy at business schools globally.
Power Equipment
Prior to motorcycle, Honda power equipment sales reached 6.4 million units in 2007, by 2010 this figure decreased to 4.7 million units and so on.
Honda Power Equipment Involve:
Tiller, engine, riding mower, lawn mower, blower, mower, sprayer, generator, hedge trimmer, outboard engine, pumps, inflatable boat etc.
Aircraft
Honda has been active, through its subsidiary, Honda Aircraft Company. It has increased fuel efficiency and aerodynamics thus minimizing operating costs.
Mountain Bikes
Honda has built a downhill racing bike popularly known as Honda RN-01. It has taken a lot of people to pilot the bike, including Greg Minnaar. Gearbox is the main feature of this bike, which substitute the quality derailleur found on some bikes.
Solar Cells
Throughout Japan, Honda Soltec (Honda’s solar cell subsidiary company) started sales of thin-film solar cells for industrial and public use on October 24, 2008. Its headquarters is at Kikuchi-gun, Kumamoto with Akia Kazusa as president and CEO. These sales came about after selling solar cells for residential usage since October 2007.
Conclusion
From the above listed brands of Honda car, you are free to choose your choicest Honda brand. They have been tested and trusted over time. Honda’s powerful slogan is ‘The power of dreams’. They don’t use this slogan while marketing their products, because according to the founder Mr. Honda well built products doesn’t need any advertisement. They will always sell themselves.