The history of the Honda Motor Company began with an autophile and his
dream. Japanese entrepreneur Soichiro Honda had loved motor vehicles
almost since birth. When he was fifteen, he became part of an auto
repair shop, and the passion grew. His greatest dream was to become a
world-renowned car racer, and it was an ambition which he would fulfill
in time. But first, the auto lover found himself employed as a
technician.
In 1969, American Honda also introduced its first automobile import, the
N600 Sedan. The story was much the same: initial skepticism (could a
motorcycle man really make effective automobiles?), followed by eventual
success. The enormous popularity of Honda’s “CB” model motorcycles
helped convince the public that their faith in Honda was well-placed.
So, when Honda embarrassed the competition with his
environmental-friendly Civic automobile (in a time of growing pollution
concerns) in 1972, both the American public and the American government
were more than receptive.
Soon, Honda International Trading was
exporting its now-successful American creations to Japan, closing the
circle of success. When the top-selling Accord made its way onto
American streets a few short months later, the Honda success story was
finally complete: Japanese motorcycle supremacy, worldwide motorcycle
supremacy, and now automobile supremacy.
Soichiro Honda set another standard when he became the first Asian to be
inducted into the U.S. Automotive Hall of Fame. Today, Honda’s
selection of Accords, Civics, Preludes, Passports, Acuras, and Odysseys
bear the Honda seal of excellence. Millions of motorcycle and automobile
lovers around the world can attest to that excellence.
  
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