Founded by Soichiro Honda, the Honda Motor Company has been producing cars and trucks for nearly 50 years. The son of a blacksmith and bicycle shop owner, Honda apprenticed at an auto repair shop before starting his own company in 1948. After 15 years of manufacturing motorcycles, in 1963 the Honda Motor Company produced its first automobile. While the Honda T360 was a truck, it was followed the same year by a sports car called the S500.
Of Honda’s best-known cars, the Civic made its debut in 1972, with the Accord following in 1976. In 1986, with the release of the Legend and Integra, Honda began selling their popular Acura brand. Acura’s success inspired Toyota’s Lexus ES, as well as Nissan’s Infiniti J30. Honda began selling hybrid vehicles in 1999.
By the year 2000, Honda had developed the ASIMO robot and was planning future products for the robotics and aerospace industries. Honda’s separate research and development company, Honda R&D, has even developed a device that helps people walk. While Soichiro Honda’s company continues to lead the pack in motorcycle and engine sales, it has moved far beyond its original product line to incorporate some of the most forward-looking products available.
