73-474: Integrated Motor Assist (commonly abbreviated as IMA ) is Honda 's hybrid car technology, introduced in 1999 on the Insight . It is a specific implementation of a parallel hybrid . It uses an electric motor mounted between the internal combustion engine and transmission to act as a starter motor , power generator, engine balancer, and assist traction motor . In its first generation, IMA could not power
146-406: A 2-day week until the end of May as the manufacturer struggled to source supplies from Japan. It's thought around 22,500 cars were produced during this period. For the fiscal year 2018, Honda reported earnings of US$ 9.534 billion, with an annual revenue of US$ 138.250 billion, an increase of 6.2% over the previous fiscal cycle. Honda's shares traded at over $ 32 per share, and its market capitalization
219-788: A developer studio are part of the Honda Innovations group, formed in Spring 2017 and based in Mountain View, California . Through Honda Mobilityland , Honda also operate the Suzuka Circuit and Twin Ring Motegi racing tracks. Following the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan, Honda announced plans to halve production at its UK plants. The decision was made to put staff at the Swindon plant on
292-671: A global recall of about 4.5 million vehicles, including 2.54 million in the U.S., over fuel pump failures, following earlier recalls in 2021 and 2020 for the same issue. Honda is headquartered in Minato, Tokyo , Japan. Their shares trade on the Tokyo Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange , as well as exchanges in Osaka, Nagoya, Sapporo, Kyoto, Fukuoka , London , Paris, and Switzerland. The company has assembly plants around
365-605: A live show that highlighted ASIMO's abilities. Additionally, the robot visited top engineering and computer science colleges and universities across the US as part of the ASIMO Technology Circuit Tour in an effort to encourage students to consider scientific careers. In 2004, ASIMO was inducted into the Carnegie Mellon Robot Hall of Fame . In March 2005, the robot walked the red carpet at the world premiere of
438-665: A mechanic at the Art Shokai garage, where he tuned cars and entered them in races. In 1937, with financing from his acquaintance Kato Shichirō, Honda founded Tōkai Seiki (Eastern Sea Precision Machine Company) to make piston rings working out of the Art Shokai garage. After initial failures, Tōkai Seiki won a contract to supply piston rings to Toyota , but lost the contract due to the poor quality of their products. After attending engineering school without graduating, and visiting factories around Japan to better understand Toyota's quality control processes known as " Five whys ", by 1941 Honda
511-421: A person when approached. The robot interprets voice commands and human gestures, enabling it to recognize when a handshake is offered or when a person waves or points, and then respond accordingly. ASIMO's ability to distinguish between voices and other sounds allows it to identify its companions. ASIMO is able to respond to its name and recognizes sounds associated with a falling object or collision. This allows
584-562: A small 356 cc straight-4 gasoline engine, it was classified under the cheaper Kei car tax bracket. The second production car from Honda was the S500 sports car, which followed the T360 into production in October 1963. Its chain-driven rear wheels pointed to Honda's motorcycle origins. Over the next few decades, Honda worked to expand its product line, operations and exports to numerous countries around
657-525: Is a Japanese multinational conglomerate that manufactures automobiles, motorcycles, and battery-powered equipment, founded in October 1946 by Soichiro Honda and headquartered in Minato, Tokyo , Japan. Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a production of 400 million by 19 December 2019. It is also the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than 14 million internal combustion engines each year. Honda became
730-828: Is based in Alliston, Ontario . Honda has also created joint ventures around the world, such as Honda Siel Cars and Hero Honda Motorcycles in India, Guangzhou Honda and Dongfeng Honda in China, Boon Siew Honda in Malaysia and Honda Atlas in Pakistan. The company also runs a business innovation initiative called Honda Xcelerator , in order to build relationships with innovators, partner with Silicon Valley startups and entrepreneurs, and help other companies work on prototypes. Xcelerator had worked with reportedly 40 companies as of January 2019. Xcelerator and
803-489: Is housed in the robot's waist area and can be controlled by a PC, wireless controller, or voice commands . ASIMO has the ability to recognize moving objects , postures, gestures , its surrounding environment, sounds and faces , which enables it to interact with humans. The robot can detect the movements of multiple objects by using visual information captured by two camera "eyes" in its head and also determine distance and direction. This feature allows ASIMO to follow or face
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#1732869912701876-432: Is powered by a rechargeable 51.8 V lithium-ion battery with an operating time of one hour. Switching from a nickel–metal hydride battery in 2004 increased the amount of time ASIMO can operate before recharging. ASIMO has a three-dimensional computer processor that was created by Honda and consists of a three stacked die , a processor , a signal converter and memory . The computer that controls ASIMO's movement
949-404: Is used to detect ground surface. The infrared sensor with automatic shutter adjustment based on brightness is used to detect pairs of floor markings to confirm the navigable paths of the planned map. The pre-loaded map and the detection of floor markings help the robot to precisely identify its present location and continuously adjust its position. There are front and rear ultrasonic sensors to sense
1022-645: The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) was commissioned by the UK government to write a report explaining why and how the British motorcycle industry had been out-competed by its Japanese competitors. The report concluded that the Japanese firms, including Honda, had sought a very high scale of production (they had made a large number of motorbikes) in order to benefit from economies of scale and learning curve effects. It blamed
1095-833: The Civic GX as the greenest car in America for seven consecutive years. Honda currently builds vehicles in factories located in Japan, the United States of America, Canada, China, Pakistan, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Brazil, Indonesia, India, Thailand, Turkey, Argentina, Mexico, Taiwan, and the Philippines. Honda is the largest motorcycle manufacturer in Japan and has been since it started production in 1955. At its peak in 1982, Honda manufactured almost three million motorcycles annually. By 2006, this figure had been reduced to around 550,000 but
1168-701: The Fit and Accord. Honda's first hybrid electric vehicle was the 1999 Insight . The Civic was first offered as a hybrid in 2001, and the Accord followed in 2004. In 2008, the company launched the Clarity , a fuel cell car . In 2008, Honda increased global production to meet the demand for small cars and hybrids in the U.S. and emerging markets. The company shuffled U.S. production to keep factories busy and boost car output while building fewer minivans and sport utility vehicles as light truck sales fell. Its first entrance into
1241-654: The Ontario Science Center in Toronto in May 2011 and demonstrated its abilities to Canadian students. The robot later traveled to Ottawa for the unveiling of an exhibit at the Canadian Museum of Civilization 19 May through 22 May 2011. ASIMO appeared as a guest on the British quiz show QI on 2 December 2011. After serving water to host Stephen Fry and dancing with comedian Jo Brand , ASIMO won with 32 points. ASIMO
1314-796: The Science Museum in London. ASIMO continued on a world tour, making stops in countries such as Spain, the United Arab Emirates, Russia, South Africa and Australia. In October 2008, ASIMO greeted Prince Charles during a visit to the Miraikan Museum in Tokyo, where it performed a seven-minute step and dance routine. In a demonstration at Honda's Tokyo headquarters in 2007, the company demonstrated new intelligence technologies that enabled multiple ASIMO robots to work together. The demonstration showed
1387-427: The iPhone and Android smartphones called "Run with ASIMO." Users learn about the development of ASIMO by virtually walking the robot through the steps of a race and then sharing their lap times on Twitter and Facebook. Since ASIMO was introduced in 2000, the robot has traveled around the world and performed in front of international audiences. ASIMO made its first public appearance in the U.S. in 2002 when it rang
1460-875: The 120th Rose Parade in celebration of Honda's 50th year of operation in the US. Later that year, the robot made an appearance in Italy at the Genoa Science Festival. In January 2010, Honda debuted its "Living With Robots" documentary at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City , Utah. The film focuses on the experience of human interaction with robots like ASIMO. ASIMO attended the Ars Electronica festival in Linz , Austria in September 2010, which allowed Honda to study
1533-490: The 1980s, including several prototypes that preceded ASIMO. It was the company's goal to create a walking robot. E0 was the first bipedal (two-legged) model produced as part of the Honda E series , which was an early experimental line of self-regulating, humanoid walking robot with wireless movements created between 1986 and 1993. This was followed by the Honda P series of robots produced from 1993 through 1997. The research made on
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#17328699127011606-547: The Accord and Civic (with the exception of its USA-market 1993–97 Passport which was part of a vehicle exchange program with Isuzu (part of the Subaru-Isuzu joint venture)) 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 equipment, then later standard, like anti-lock brakes , speed-sensitive power steering , and multi-port fuel injection in
1679-632: The Civic is the second-longest continuously running nameplate from a Japanese manufacturer; only its perennial rival, the Toyota Corolla , introduced in 1966, has been in production longer. The Civic, along with the Accord and Prelude , comprised Honda's vehicles sold in North America until the 1990s, when the model lineup was expanded. Having gone through several generational changes, the Civic has become larger and more upmarket , and it currently slots between
1752-516: The E- and P-series led to the creation of ASIMO. Development began at Honda's Wako Fundamental Technical Research Center in Japan in 1999 and ASIMO was unveiled in October 2000. ASIMO is an acronym which stands for Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility. The Japanese word Asi also stands for 'leg' and Mo for 'mobility'. ASIMO is pronounced as ' ashimo ' and means 'also legs'. In 2018, Honda ceased
1825-454: The IMA also acts as the vehicle's alternator , eventually the 12 volt accessory battery would require an external charge. Honda Honda Motor Co., Ltd. ( Japanese : 本田技研工業株式会社 , Hepburn : Honda Giken Kōgyō Kabushiki gaisha , lit. ' Honda Institute of Technology and Industry Joint-Stock Company ' , IPA: [honda] ; / ˈ h ɒ n d ə / )
1898-425: The U.S. market was a story of "miscalculation, serendipity, and organizational learning" – in other words, Honda's success was due to the adaptability and hard work of its staff, rather than any long-term strategy. For example, Honda's initial plan on entering the US market was to compete in large motorcycles, around 300 cc. Honda's motorcycles in this class suffered performance and reliability problems when ridden
1971-530: The US to suspend production in its factories. It resumed automobile, engine and transmission production at its US plants on 11 May 2020. Honda and General Motors announced in September 2020 a North American alliance to begin in 2021. According to The Detroit Free Press, "The proposed alliance will include sharing a range of vehicles, to be sold under each company's distinct brands, as well as cooperation in purchasing, research and development, and connected services." In 2021, Honda announced its intention to become
2044-527: The US. Honda power equipment includes: ASIMO ASIMO ( Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility ) is a humanoid robot created by Honda in 2000. It is displayed in the Miraikan museum in Tokyo, Japan . On 8 July 2018, Honda posted the last update of ASIMO on their official page stating that it would be ceasing all development and production of ASIMO robots in order to focus on more practical applications using
2117-471: The United States and Canada due to an issue with seat belts in the car not latching correctly. Among the models recalled were the 2017-2020 CR-V, the 2018 and 2019 Accord, the 2018-2020 Odyssey, the 2019 Insight, and the Acura RDX from 2019 and 2020. According to the recall, the seat belts in the front seats would break open on impact increasing the risk of injury in a crash. On 21 December 2023, Honda announced
2190-453: The air-cooled N360, called the Honda Life , which was water-cooled. The Honda Life represented Honda's efforts in competing in the kei car segment, offering sedan, delivery van and small pick-up platforms on a shared chassis. The Life Step Van had a novel approach that, while not initially a commercial success, appeared to be an influence to vehicles with the front passengers sitting behind
2263-508: The air-cooled, four-cylinder, gasoline-powered Honda 1300 which was introduced in 1969. The Civic was a hatchback that gained wide popularity internationally, but it wasn't the first two-door hatchback built by Honda. That was the Honda N360 , a Kei car that was adapted for international sale as the N600. The Civic, which appeared in 1972 and replaced the N600 also had a smaller sibling that replaced
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2336-575: The animated film, Robots . In June 2005, ASIMO became a feature in a show called "Say 'Hello' to Honda's ASIMO" at Disneyland 's Innoventions attraction, which was a part of the Tomorrowland area of the park. This was the only permanent installation of ASIMO in North America until Innoventions was closed in April 2015. The robot first visited the United Kingdom in January 2003 for private demonstrations at
2409-505: The bell to open trade sessions for the New York Stock Exchange . From January 2003 to March 2005, the robot toured the U.S. and Canada, demonstrating its abilities for more than 130,000 people. From 2003 to 2004, ASIMO was part of the North American educational tour, where it visited top science and technology museums and academic institutions throughout North America. The goal of the tour was to encourage students to study science through
2482-425: The car on electricity alone, and could only use the motor to assist or start the engine. 2006 Civic Hybrid , however, can activate the electric motor while the vehicle is coasting without turning on the internal combustion engine, though in contrast to Toyota 's Hybrid Synergy Drive (HSD) or General Motors and DaimlerChrysler 's Global Hybrid Cooperation , the IMA has a less powerful motor/generator which allows
2555-418: The car to slow or stop its rate of deceleration to a lesser extent; it cannot operate without turning over the engine which is directly coupled to its electric motor. The IMA uses regenerative braking to capture some of the energy that would otherwise be lost as heat during braking and reuse that energy later to help accelerate the vehicle. This has three effects: it increases the rate of acceleration, reduces
2628-440: The commercial development of ASIMO, although it will continue to be developed as a research platform and make public appearances. ASIMO stands 130 cm (4 ft 3 in) tall and weighs 54 kg (119 lb). Research conducted by Honda found that the ideal height for a mobility assistant robot was between 120 cm and the height of an average adult, which is conducive to operating door knobs and light switches. ASIMO
2701-582: The company. Honda also aided the war effort by assisting other companies in automating the production of military aircraft propellers. The relationships Honda cultivated with personnel at Toyota, Nakajima Aircraft Company and the Imperial Japanese Navy would be instrumental in the postwar period. A US B-29 bomber attack destroyed Tōkai Seiki's Yamashita plant in 1944, and the Itawa plant collapsed on 13 January 1945 Mikawa earthquake . Soichiro Honda sold
2774-511: The decline of the British motorcycle industry on the failure of British managers to invest enough in their businesses to profit from economies of scale and scope . The second explanation was offered in 1984 by Richard Pascale, who had interviewed the Honda executives responsible for the firm's entry into the U.S. market. As opposed to the tightly focused strategy of low cost and high scale that BCG accredited to Honda, Pascale found that their entry into
2847-667: The desire to create a more environmentally friendly company image. The Honda Aircraft Company as established in 2006 as a wholly owned subsidiary to manufacture and sell the HondaJet family of aircraft. The first deliveries to customers began in December 2015. On 23 February 2015, Honda announced that CEO and President Takanobu Ito would step down and be replaced by Takahiro Hachigo in June of that year; additional retirements by senior managers and directors were expected. In October 2019, Honda
2920-508: The early 1980s. This desire to be the first to try new approaches is evident with the creation of the first Japanese luxury chain Acura , and was also evident with the all-aluminum, mid-engined sports car, the Honda NSX , which also introduced variable valve timing technology, which Honda calls VTEC . The Civic family is a line of compact cars developed and manufactured by Honda. In North America,
2993-445: The engine, a large cargo area with a flat roof and a liftgate installed in back, and utilizing a transversely installed engine with a front-wheel-drive powertrain. As Honda entered into automobile manufacturing in the late 1960s where Japanese manufacturers such as Toyota and Nissan had been making cars since before WWII, Honda instilled a sense of doing things a little differently than its Japanese competitors. Its mainstay products like
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3066-638: The engines ran out, Honda began building their own copy of the Tohatsu engine, and supplying these to customers to attach to their bicycles. This was the Honda A-Type, nicknamed the Bata Bata for the sound the engine made. In 1949, the Honda Technical Research Institute was liquidated for ¥ 1,000,000, or about US$ 5,000 today; these funds were used to incorporate Honda Motor Co., Ltd. At about
3139-707: The establishment of GE Honda Aero Engines in 2004 and the Honda HA-420 HondaJet , which began production in 2012. Honda has two joint-ventures in China: Dongfeng Honda and GAC Honda . In 2013, Honda invested about 5.7% (US$ 6.8 billion) of its revenues into research and development. Also in 2013, Honda became the first Japanese automaker to be a net exporter from the United States, exporting 108,705 Honda and Acura models, while importing only 88,357. Throughout his life, Honda's founder, Soichiro Honda (1906–1991), had an interest in automobiles. He worked as
3212-498: The first Honda to go by the name Dream. In 1961, Honda achieved its first Grand Prix victories and World Championships in the 125 cc and 250 cc categories. Honda Motor Company grew in a short time to become the world's largest manufacturer of motorcycles by 1964. The first production automobile from Honda was the T360 mini pick-up truck, which went on sale in August 1963. Powered by
3285-501: The first-generation Odyssey and the CR-V , and a refocusing away from some of the numerous sedans and coupes that were popular with the company's engineers but not with the buying public. The most shocking change to Honda came when Kawamoto ended the company's successful participation in Formula One after the 1992 season, citing costs in light of the takeover threat from Mitsubishi as well as
3358-400: The globe. These plants are located in China, the United States, Pakistan, Canada, England, Japan, Belgium, Brazil, México, New Zealand, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Turkey, Taiwan, Perú and Argentina. As of July 2010, 89% of Honda and Acura vehicles sold in the United States were built in North American plants, up from 82.2% a year earlier. This shields profits from
3431-543: The models TRX 90X, TRX 250X, TRX 400x, TRX 450R and TRX 700. Power equipment production started in 1953 with H-type engine (prior to motorcycles). Honda power equipment reached record sales in 2007 with 6.4 million units sold annually. By 2010 ( Fiscal year ended 31 March) this figure had decreased to 4.7 million units. Cumulative production of power products has exceeded 85 million units annually (as of September 2008). In September 2023, Honda ceased sales of gasoline lawn mowers and some other power equipment in
3504-624: The obstacles. The front sensor is located at the lower portion of the torso together with the ground sensor. The rear sensor is located at the bottom of the backpack. Honda's work with ASIMO led to further research on walking assist devices that resulted in innovations such as the Stride Management Assist and the Bodyweight Support Assist. In honor of ASIMO's 10th anniversary in November 2010, Honda developed an application for
3577-1254: The pickup segment, the light-duty Ridgeline, won Truck of the Year from Motor Trend magazine in 2006. Also in 2006, the redesigned Civic won Car of the Year from the magazine, giving Honda a rare double win of Motor Trend honors. It is reported that Honda plans to increase hybrid sales in Japan to more than 20% of its total sales in the fiscal year 2011, from 14.8% in the previous year. Five of United States Environmental Protection Agency 's top ten most fuel-efficient cars from 1984 to 2010 come from Honda, more than any other automakers. The five models are: 2000–2006 Honda Insight (53 mpg ‑US or 4.4 L/100 km or 64 mpg ‑imp combined), 1986–1987 Honda Civic Coupe HF (46 mpg ‑US or 5.1 L/100 km or 55 mpg ‑imp combined), 1994–1995 Honda Civic hatchback VX (43 mpg ‑US or 5.5 L/100 km or 52 mpg ‑imp combined), 2006– Honda Civic Hybrid (42 mpg ‑US or 5.6 L/100 km or 50 mpg ‑imp combined), and 2010– Honda Insight (41 mpg ‑US or 5.7 L/100 km or 49 mpg ‑imp combined). The ACEEE has also rated
3650-533: The relatively long distances of the US highways. When the team found that the scooters they were using to get themselves around their U.S. base of San Francisco attracted positive interest from consumers they fell back on selling the Super Cub instead. The most recent school of thought on Honda's strategy was put forward by Gary Hamel and C. K. Prahalad in 1989. Creating the concept of core competencies with Honda as an example, they argued that Honda's success
3723-417: The release of the first EVs scheduled for 2026 in the US under the "Afeela" brand. On 2 February 2023, Honda announced a deal with American car company General Motors to produce cars using a new hydrogen fuel system. The aim is to ramp up the hydrogen powered cells in their Electric vehicles as well as trucks, construction machinery, and power stations. On 15 March 2023, Honda recalled 500,000 vehicles in
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#17328699127013796-510: The results of human and robot interaction and use the results to guide development of future versions of the robot. In April 2011, ASIMO was demonstrated at the FIRST Championship in St. Louis , Missouri , US to encourage students to pursue studies in math, science and engineering, and in November 2011 ASIMO was one of the star attractions at the first Abu Dhabi Science Festival. ASIMO visited
3869-504: The robot to face a person when spoken to or look towards a sound. ASIMO responds to questions by nodding or providing a verbal answer in different languages and can recognize approximately 10 different faces and address them by name. There are sensors that assist in autonomous navigation . The two cameras inside the head are used as a visual sensor to detect obstacles. The lower portion of the torso has ground sensor which comprises one laser sensor and one infrared sensor . The laser sensor
3942-669: The robot's ability to identify and avoid oncoming people, work with another ASIMO, recognize when to recharge its battery and perform new tasks, such as carrying a tray and pushing a cart. In 2008, ASIMO conducted the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in a performance of " The Impossible Dream " to bring attention to its partnership with the Orchestra and support the performing arts in Detroit. A 49-foot replica of ASIMO made with natural materials, such as lettuce seed, rice and carnations led
4015-403: The salvageable remains of the company to Toyota after the war for ¥450,000 and used the proceeds to found the Honda Technical Research Institute in October 1946. With a staff of 12 men working in a 16 m (170 sq ft) shack, they built and sold improvised motorized bicycles , using a supply of 500 two-stroke 50 cc Tohatsu war surplus radio generator engines . When
4088-402: The same time Honda hired engineer Kihachiro Kawashima, and Takeo Fujisawa who provided indispensable business and marketing expertise to complement Soichiro Honda's technical bent. The close partnership between Soichiro Honda and Fujisawa lasted until they stepped down together in October 1973. The first complete motorcycle with both the frame and engine made by Honda was the 1949 D-Type ,
4161-606: The second-largest Japanese automobile manufacturer in 2001. In 2015, Honda was the eighth largest automobile manufacturer in the world. Honda was the first Japanese automobile manufacturer to release a dedicated luxury brand, Acura , on 27 March 1986. Aside from their core automobile and motorcycle businesses, Honda also manufactures garden equipment, marine engines, personal watercraft , power generators, and other products. Since 1986, Honda has been involved with artificial intelligence/robotics research and released their ASIMO robot in 2000. They have also ventured into aerospace with
4234-409: The slogan " You meet the nicest people on a Honda ." In contrast to the prevailing negative stereotypes of motorcyclists in America as tough, antisocial rebels, this campaign suggested that Honda motorcycles were made for the everyman. The campaign was hugely successful; the ads ran for three years, and by the end of 1963 alone, Honda had sold 90,000 motorcycles. Taking Honda's story as an archetype of
4307-417: The smaller manufacturer entering a new market already occupied by highly dominant competitors, the story of their market entry, and their subsequent huge success in the U.S. and around the world has been the subject of some academic controversy. Competing explanations have been advanced to explain Honda's strategy and the reasons for their success. The first of these explanations was put forward when, in 1975,
4380-458: The successful establishment of Honda of America Manufacturing, Inc. in Marysville, Ohio . Irimajiri and Kawamoto shared a friendly rivalry within Honda; owing to health issues, Irimajiri would resign in 1992. Following the death of Soichiro Honda and the departure of Irimajiri, Honda found itself quickly being outpaced in product development by other Japanese automakers and was caught off-guard by
4453-610: The technology developed through ASIMO's lifespan. It made its last active appearance in March 2022, over 20 years after its first, as Honda announced that they are retiring the robot to concentrate on remote-controlled , avatar-style, robotic technology. There are four published models of the ASIMO. A few years after the release in 2002 there were 20 units of the first ASIMO model produced. As of February 2009, there were over 100 ASIMO units in existence. Honda began developing humanoid robots in
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#17328699127014526-537: The truck and sport utility vehicle boom of the 1990s, all which took a toll on the profitability of the company. Japanese media reported in 1992 and 1993 that Honda was at serious risk of an unwanted and hostile takeover by Mitsubishi Motors , which at the time was a larger automaker by volume and was flush with profits from its successful Pajero and Diamante models. Kawamoto acted quickly to change Honda's corporate culture, rushing through market-driven product development that resulted in recreational vehicles such as
4599-432: The vehicle stops and use the electric motor to rapidly spin it back up when the driver releases the brake pedal (or in the manual transmission variant, when the shifter is placed into gear from neutral). They also have a conventional starter as a backup, making it the only production hybrid system which can operate with its high voltage electric system disabled, using only its engine like a traditional vehicle. However, since
4672-480: The work required of the engine , and reduces the frequency of brake hardware replacement. The acceleration boost is important as it allows the engine to be scaled down to a smaller but more fuel-efficient variant without rendering the vehicle unacceptably slow or weak. This smaller engine is the primary reason cars equipped with IMA get better highway mileage than their more conventional counterparts. Additionally, vehicles equipped with IMA can shut off their engine when
4745-484: The world's first carmaker to sell a vehicle with level 3 self-driving technology. In March 2022, Honda announced it would develop and build electric vehicles in a joint venture with electronics giant Sony . The latter is set to provide its imaging, sensing, network and other technologies while Honda would be responsible for the car manufacturing processes. The Sony Honda Mobility company was officially announced on 13 October 2022 with pre-orders said to open in 2025 and
4818-451: The world. In 1986, Honda introduced the successful Acura brand to the American market in an attempt to gain ground in the luxury vehicle market. The year 1991 saw the introduction of the Honda NSX supercar, the first all-aluminum monocoque vehicle that incorporated a mid-engine V6 with variable-valve timing . In 1990, CEO Tadashi Kume was succeeded by Nobuhiko Kawamoto . Kawamoto was selected over Shoichiro Irimajiri , who oversaw
4891-422: The yen's advance to a 15-year high against the dollar. American Honda Motor Company is based in Torrance, California . Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) is Honda's motorsport division. Honda Canada Inc. is headquartered in Markham, Ontario , it was originally planned to be located in Richmond Hill, Ontario , but delays led them to look elsewhere. Their manufacturing division, Honda of Canada Manufacturing ,
4964-411: Was able to mass-produce piston rings acceptable to Toyota, using an automated process that could employ even unskilled wartime laborers. Tōkai Seiki was placed under the control of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (called the Ministry of Munitions after 1943) at the start of World War II, and Soichiro Honda was demoted from president to senior managing director after Toyota took a 40% stake in
5037-508: Was also the inspiration behind 2012's film Robot & Frank , where a robot assists an aging man to commit his last job as a 'cat burglar'. The robot in the film, portrayed by an actor in costume, has the appearance of an ASIMO robot. In April 2014, the robot was introduced to President Obama at the Miraikan science museum in Tokyo. On 24 March 2017, Honda revealed ASIMO in Disneyland 's Autopia attraction. On multiple occasions, audience members at public showcasings of ASIMO have filmed
5110-523: Was due to its focus on leadership in the technology of internal combustion engines. For example, the high power-to-weight ratio engines Honda produced for its racing bikes provided technology and expertise which was transferable into mopeds. Honda's entry into the U.S. motorcycle market during the 1960s is used as a case study for teaching introductory strategy at business schools worldwide. Honda builds utility ATVs under models Recon, Rubicon, Rancher, Foreman and Rincon. Honda also builds sports ATVs under
5183-435: Was reported to be in talks with Hitachi to merge the two companies' car parts businesses, creating a components supplier with almost $ 17 billion in annual sales. In January 2020, Honda announced that it would be withdrawing employees working in the city of Wuhan , Hubei , China due to the COVID-19 pandemic . On 23 March 2020 due to the global spread of the virus, Honda became the first major automaker with operations in
5256-452: Was still higher than its three domestic competitors. In 2017, India became the largest motorcycle market for Honda. In India, Honda is leading in the scooters segment, with 59% market share. During the 1960s when it was a small manufacturer, Honda broke out of the Japanese motorcycle market and began exporting to the United States. Working with the advertising agency Grey Advertising , Honda created an innovative marketing campaign, using
5329-630: Was valued at US$ 50.4 billion in October 2018. Honda's automotive manufacturing ambitions can be traced back to 1963, with the Honda T360 , a Kei truck built for the Japanese market. This was followed by the two-door roadster , the Honda S500 also introduced in 1963. In 1965, Honda built a two-door commercial delivery van, named the Honda L700 . Honda's first four-door sedan was not the Honda Accord , but
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