Honda Motors, one of the world’s largest car companies, has a tradition that can only be described as great. It was recently reported that the auto giant is considering building an electric vehicle factory in Canada in a project worth approximately 2 trillion yen ($13.83 billion). This will be Honda’s largest investment to date. This speaks volumes about the company’s position in today’s automotive industry, so it’s essential to talk about the man who started it all.
The foundations of this multinational corporation were laid by Soichiro Honda of Japan. Soichiro was not born with a silver spoon and had to work hard to reach the pinnacle of his success. Shichiro was born into a poor family of blacksmiths, and there was a time when he worked as a garage cleaner to make a living. Even after independence, the factory was destroyed during World War II, and the company was forced to start from scratch. Please tell us more about Soichiro’s inspiring journey.
Soichiro Honda was born on November 17, 1906 in Komyo Village, Iwata District, Shizuoka Prefecture, near Hamamatsu. As a young man, he helped his blacksmith father, Gihei Honda, run a bicycle repair company. His mother, Mika Honda, was a weaver at the time. Honda showed no interest in traditional schooling and quit school at the age of 16.
He finds an advertisement for a mechanic at the Tokyo car company Art Shokai and ends up there, only to be given a job as a cleaner in one of the garages instead. While working as a cleaner, Soichiro built good relationships with mechanics and learned their skills.
Seeing his dedication, management appointed him to manage the second garage. It was a place where racing cars were repaired. Therefore, Saichiro Honda collaborated with the company’s management to develop a racing car. The original race car was anything but great. However, the second car performed very well and won the 1924 Japanese car race. Afterwards, he worked for Art & Co. for several years.
A racing accident in 1936 resulted in Soichiro being hospitalized for several months. After his recovery, he founded a company with his friends that made piston rings while continuing his job. He left Art Shokai in 1939. He contacted many automotive giants to sell piston rings. He was successful in getting Toyota as a customer, but the product did not pass quality tests and was rejected. After that, Soichiro worked on improving the piston rings and produced better quality, which was accepted by Toyota.
Established a piston ring manufacturing company in Hamamatsu City. This was an automated factory. 2,000 employees worked there. However, during World War II, the factory was completely destroyed by American air raids. After this, Unit 2 also collapsed due to the earthquake. Honda sold the remaining machinery at the factory to Toyota Motor Corporation for 45,000 yen. Honda R&D Research Institute was established in 1946 with this funding.
In 1949 he named the company Honda Motors. Since bicycles were the main means of transportation in Japan after the devastation of the post-war period, he created a bicycle powered by an electric generating engine. Later, he released a motorcycle called the Super Cub, which had good fuel efficiency and was lightweight. It was a big hit. He set foot in America in the 1960s. By 1964, every bicycle on America’s roads was a Honda. Soichiro Honda built his first automobile, the T360 light truck, in 1963. Shichiro Honda He passed away in 1991. At that time, Honda Motors’ net worth was his $92 billion. He had over 150 patents under his name.
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First published: January 8, 2024, 12:16 IST
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