American Honda Motor Company
Encyclopedia
The American Honda Motor Company, Inc. (sometimes abbreviated as AHM) is a North American subsidiary of the Honda Motor Company, Ltd.
Honda
is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...

 It was founded in 1959 and is based in Torrance
Torrance, California
Torrance is a city incorporated in 1921 and located in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. Torrance has of shore-front beaches on the Pacific Ocean, quieter and less well-known by tourists than others on the Santa Monica Bay, such as those of neighboring...

, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

. The company combines product sales, service and coordinating functions of Honda in North America, and is responsible for distribution, marketing and sales of Honda and Acura brand automobiles, Honda power sports products, including motorcycles, scooters and all-terrain vehicles, and Honda power equipment products, including lawnmowers, tillers, string trimmers, snow blower
Snow blower
A snow blower or snow thrower is a machine for removing snow from an area where it is not wanted, such as a driveway, sidewalk, roadway, railroad track, rink, runway, or houses...

s, generators, small displacement general-purpose engines and marine outboard engines.

Honda-brand automobile models include the Accord
Honda Accord
The Honda Accord is a series of compact, mid-size and full-size automobiles manufactured by Honda since 1976, and sold in a majority of automotive markets throughout the world....

, Civic
Honda Civic
The Honda Civic is a line of subcompact and subsequently compact cars made and manufactured by Honda. 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...

, CR-V
Honda CR-V
The Honda CR-V is a compact suv, now called crossover, manufactured since 1995 by Honda. It was loosely derived from the Honda Civic to satisfy a public demand for a sport-utility vehicle from Honda. There are discrepancies as to what "CR-V" stands for, with Honda sources in different markets...

, Element
Honda Element
The Honda Element is a compact crossover SUV based on a modified CR-V platform, manufactured in East Liberty, Ohio and marketed in the United States and Canada from December 2002.-Overview:...

, FCX Clarity, Fit
Honda Fit
The Honda Jazz is a five-door hatchback subcompact manufactured by the Honda Motor Company of Japan, first introduced in June 2001 and is now in its second generation. The Jazz shares Honda's Global Small Car Platform with the City/Fit Aria, Airwave/Partner, Mobilio, Mobilio Spike, Freed and Freed...

, Insight
Honda Insight
The Honda Insight is a hybrid electric vehicle manufactured by Honda and the first production vehicle to feature Honda's Integrated Motor Assist system. The first-generation Insight was produced from 1999 to 2006 as a three-door hatchback...

, Odyssey
Honda Odyssey (North America)
The Honda Odyssey is a minivan manufactured by Japanese automaker Honda since 1994.The Odyssey had originally been conceived and engineered in Japan, in the wake of country's economic crisis of the 1990s – which in turn imposed severe constraints on the vehicle's size and overall concept,...

, Pilot
Honda Pilot
The Honda Pilot is a mid-size crossover SUV. The Honda Pilot is built in Lincoln, Alabama, and was also produced in Alliston, Ontario, Canada up until April 2007. The first generation Pilot was released in the summer of 2002 as a 2003 model, and in 2006 it received new front and rear fascias, a...

 and Ridgeline
Honda Ridgeline
The Honda Ridgeline is a mid to full size sport utility truck produced by the Japanese automaker Honda. The Ridgeline was released in March 2005 as a 2006 model and is Honda's intended first foray into the North American pickup truck market. Until 2009, the Ridgeline was built in Alliston,...

. Acura
Acura
Acura is the luxury vehicle division of Japanese automaker Honda Motor Company. The brand has been available in the United States and Canada since March 1986, marketing luxury, performance, and near-performance vehicles. It was introduced to Hong Kong in 1991, Mexico in 2004, and China in 2006...

-brand models are the RL
Acura RL
The Acura RL is the flagship car for North American luxury brand Acura — marketed in Japan as the Honda Legend and manufactured in Saitama, Japan...

, TL
Acura TL
The TL "Touring Luxury" debuted as 1996 model, first with the 1996 2.5 TL available with the 2.5 L 176 hp SOHC 20-valve 5-cylinder engine from the Vigor. The 3.2 TL used the 3.2 L 200 hp SOHC 24v V6 from the second generation Acura Legend. The 2.5 TL was positioned as the...

, TSX
Acura TSX
-Overview:Named as Touring Sportscar eXperimental. The 2004 model year TSX's powertrain consisted of a 2.4-litre inline four-cylinder engine, a six-speed manual transmission , and a front wheel drive layout. A five-speed automatic transmission was a no-cost option in the U.S...

, MDX
Acura MDX
The Acura MDX, or Honda MDX as known in Japan and Australia , is a mid-size luxury crossover SUV produced by the Japanese automaker Acura since the 2001 model year. The MDX was the first crossover SUV to have third-row seating. It is related to the Honda Pilot. The alphanumeric moniker stands for...

, RDX
Acura RDX
The Acura RDX is Acura’s first compact crossover SUV. Originally previewed as the Acura RD-X concept car, the production RDX had its debut at the 2006 New York Auto Show and went on sale on August 11, 2006....

 and ZDX
Acura ZDX
The Acura ZDX is a mid-size luxury crossover developed by Honda for its upmarket brand Acura. The car was originally scheduled to be called the Acura MSX. The ZDX debuted at the 2009 New York International Auto Show on April 8, 2009...

. Honda claims several firsts for a Japanese carmaker in the United States. The company was the first to create a subsidiary to market and sell its vehicles in the country, and the first to manufacture automobiles in North America.

History

American Honda Motor Co., Inc., Honda's first overseas subsidiary, opened in Los Angeles on June 11, 1959 with capital investment of $250,000 and three employees. The creation of a subsidiary was unusual for the time, as other foreign auto companies typically relied on independent distributors.

In 1960, the first full year of operations, American Honda sold fewer than 2,000 motorcycles through three product lines: the Dream
Honda Dream CB250
The Dream CB250 was a standard motorcycle made by Honda from 1968 to 1973. It had a air-cooled parallel twin OHC four stroke engine with at 10,500 rpm. It was Honda's first 250 cc capacity motorcycle with vertical cylinders and a 5 speed transmission.-History:The CB250 was created in...

, Benly and Honda 50 (Super Cub). The following year, Honda established 500 motorcycle dealers and spent $150,000 on advertising in regions where it operated. Honda's expansion into new U.S. markets was undertaken one region at a time over a five-year period, starting on the West Coast and moving east, creating new demand for motorcycles.

Sales in the U.S. did not increase notably until 1963, when the company launched its "You Meet the Nicest People on a Honda" advertising campaign, the first of its scale to position motorcycles to mainstream
Mainstream
Mainstream is, generally, the common current thought of the majority. However, the mainstream is far from cohesive; rather the concept is often considered a cultural construct....

 Americans. By the end of the year, Honda had sold more than 100,000 units in the U.S., more than all other motorcycle manufacturers combined. Expansion at this time led the company to move to a new headquarters facility in Gardena, California, in September 1963, and total unit sales in 1964 represented nearly half of the U.S. motorcycle market.

Honda had an easier time expanding in the U.S. than in Japan, where Honda first began as a motorcycle manufacturer, only later entering the automobile market in competition with other established competitors including Toyota and Nissan. By 1983, Honda had 805 dealerships in the U.S. In the early 1990s, Honda sold two cars in the U.S. for every one car it sold in Japan. In 1990, American Honda took up residence in its current headquarters facility in Torrance, California. Following the death of founder Soichiro Honda
Soichiro Honda
was a Japanese engineer and industrialist, and founder of Honda Motor Co., Ltd..Honda was born in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan on November 17, 1906. He spent his early childhood helping his father, Gihei, a blacksmith, with his bicycle repair business. At the time his mother, Mika, was a weaver. At...

 in 1991, the company's global operations were re-organized, forming four regional operations including North America.

As of 2010, Honda employed more than 25,000 associates in the U.S. with a payroll of $1.6 billion. Another 140,000 workers are employed at authorized dealerships in the U.S., and tens of thousands more work for the company's 530 U.S. original equipment (OEM) suppliers.

Vehicles

Honda first introduced passenger cars to the North American market in 1970 with sales of the Honda N600 sedan through 32 dealers in the Western U.S.; however, sales of the vehicle and subsequent models, the Z600 coupe and S600
Honda S600
The Honda S600 is an automobile manufactured by Honda. It was launched in March 1964. It was the first Honda car to be offered in two versions: as a roadster – bearing strong resemblance to the Honda S500 – and as a fastback coupé , introduced in March 1965...

 roadster, only reached 20,000 units in 1972. During the 1970s energy crisis
1970s energy crisis
The 1970s energy crisis was a period in which the major industrial countries of the world, particularly the United States, faced substantial shortages, both perceived and real, of petroleum...

, however, lightweight, fuel-efficient cars experienced a surge in demand. The Honda Civic, introduced in 1973, became popular in the U.S., leading a significant expansion of Honda into the U.S. market.

By 1976, the company had 630 automobile dealers, and, in 1977, Honda followed the Civic with the Accord hatchback, which became the best-selling passenger car in the United States from 1990 to 1992. In 1977, the company partnered with J.D. Power and Associates
J.D. Power and Associates
J.D. Power and Associates is a global marketing information services firm founded in 1968 by James David Power III. The firm conducts surveys of customer satisfaction, product quality, and buyer behavior for industries ranging from cars to marketing and advertising firms. The firm is best known for...

 to conduct a survey of its U.S. dealers and customers concerning their satisfaction with Honda. The initiative led to the creation of the J.D. Power and Associates Customer Satisfaction Index.

Following the Accord's success with middle-class customers, Honda became the first Japanese automaker to enter the luxury automobile market, in 1986, when it launched the Acura brand. In 1987, Acura became America's best-selling import luxury nameplate with its Integra and Legend product lines. To differentiate the brand from its Honda line, the company created a second, completely new dealer network, requiring that Acura dealerships be located a minimum of 10 miles (16.1 km) from existing Honda outlets, and requiring each to invest $3 million to get started.

Environmental vehicles

Honda has also had several firsts in the area of advanced environmental vehicles. In 1974, the Civic CVCC
CVCC
CVCC is a trademark by the Honda Motor Company for an engine with reduced automotive emissions, which stood for "Compound Vortex Controlled Combustion". This technology allowed Honda's cars to meet United States emission standards in the 1970s without a catalytic converter...

 was introduced as the first car to meet 1970 U.S. Clean Air Act
Clean Air Act (United States)
The Clean Air Act is a United States federal law enacted by Congress, and signed by President Richard Nixon on December 31, 1970 to control air pollution on a national level. It requires the Environmental Protection Agency to develop and enforce regulations to protect the general public from...

 requirements without the need for a catalytic converter
Catalytic converter
A catalytic converter is a device used to convert toxic exhaust emissions from an internal combustion engine into non-toxic substances. Inside a catalytic converter, a catalyst stimulates a chemical reaction in which noxious byproducts of combustion are converted to less toxic substances by dint...

 and using either regular or unleaded gasoline, and was also rated #1 in fuel economy by the U.S. EPA in its first ranking of America's most fuel efficient automobiles.

In December 1999, it launched the Honda Insight
Honda Insight
The Honda Insight is a hybrid electric vehicle manufactured by Honda and the first production vehicle to feature Honda's Integrated Motor Assist system. The first-generation Insight was produced from 1999 to 2006 as a three-door hatchback...

, America's first gas-electric hybrid car. It later released the Civic Hybrid
Honda Civic Hybrid
The Civic hybrid, based on the seventh generation Civic, was first introduced to the Japanese market in December 2001. Honda claimed it was the most fuel efficient 5-passenger gasoline-powered production vehicle in the world at the time. It was introduced to the U.S. in spring 2002 as a 2003 model...

, the first application of hybrid technology to an existing, mass produced automobile; and the Accord Hybrid, the U.S. market's first V-6 hybrid car. A second-generation Insight hybrid was launched in 2009, followed in 2010 by the CR-Z
Honda CR-Z
The Honda CR-Z is a compact hybrid electric automobile manufactured by Honda and marketed as a "sport hybrid coupe." The CR-Z combines a hybrid gasoline-electric powertrain with traditional sports car elements...

, a two-passenger car which was the first hybrid automobile available with a 6-speed manual transmission.

American Honda has also been active in the deployment of low-emissions vehicles in the U.S., including the first gasoline-powered vehicles to meet California's Low-Emission Vehicle (LEV), Ultra-Low Emission Vehicle (ULEV), and Super Ultra-Low Emission Vehicle (SULEV) exhaust emissions requirements.

As of 2011, Honda is the sole automaker in America marketing a mass-produced natural gas vehicle
Natural gas vehicle
thumb|right|200px|2009 [[Honda Civic GX]] hooked up to Phill refueling system.A natural gas vehicle or NGV is an alternative fuel vehicle that uses compressed natural gas or liquefied natural gas as a clean alternative to other fossil fuels...

, the Civic GX, which is produced at its plant in Greensburg, Indiana. The Civic GX
Honda Civic GX
The Honda Civic GX is a passenger car factory-built to run on compressed natural gas . The GX is based on the Honda Civic and is available for fleet sales in all 50 states in the US...

 was recognized by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) as the "greenest vehicle" in 2010; representing the seventh consecutive year receiving this distinction.

Honda offered the first fuel cell electric vehicle
Fuel cell vehicle
A Fuel cell vehicle or Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle is a type of hydrogen vehicle which uses a fuel cell to produce electricity, powering its on-board electric motor...

 to retail customers in the U.S., with its first generation FCX vehicle in December 2002. In 2008, Honda introduced an all-new FCX Clarity, a fuel cell sedan, which in 2010 was in the hands of more than two dozen retail customers based on lease sale agreements.

In January 2010, the company began operating it's third version of a prototype solar-powered hydrogen refueling station for fuel cell electric vehicles on its Torrance, California campus. The station utilized Honda developed and manufactured thin-film solar cells to provide energy for the reformation of hydrogen from water via electrolysis, producing enough hydrogen to power a fuel cell electric vehicle 10,000 miles per year via a daily, eight-hour (overnight) fill.

Manufacturing

In the 1980s, Honda established its own automobile plants in the U.S., becoming the first Japanese automaker to build cars in the U.S. Honda already had begun producing motorcycles in the U.S., in 1979, and in 1982, Honda began producing Accord sedans at its first U.S. auto plant, in Marysville, Ohio. The 1000000 square feet (92,903 m²) plant cost nearly $300 million to build. As of 2010, the plant measured 3600000 square feet (334,450.9 m²) with cumulative capital investment of $3.8 billion.

During the next 10 years, Honda expanded its auto manufacturing presence, and as of 2010, the company was operating nine U.S. plants in six states. Collectively, these plants produce Honda and Acura automobiles, engines and transmissions, as well as Honda all-terrain vehicles and Honda power equipment products. In 2010, Honda America continued construction on two new factories in North Carolina, one for the production of the HondaJet very-light jet, in Greensboro, and a second to produce its GE Honda HF120 turbofan engines, in Burlington.

Research and development

Honda established U.S. research and development operations in Southern California in 1975 as Honda Research California, an arm of American Honda Motor, Co., Inc. In 1979, Honda Research of America, Inc. (HRA) was created as a subsidiary of Honda R&D Co., Ltd. As of 2010, the company operates as Honda R&D Americas, Inc.
Honda R&D Americas
Honda R&D Americas, Inc. is an automobile, motorcycle, ATV, and Jet airplane developer located in North America. It develops vehicles for Honda and Acura sales....

 with 14 facilities in North America, including two product research and design studios for Honda and Acura, in Torrance, California, an automobile and motorcycle new-model development center in Raymond, Ohio, and a power equipment research, development and testing center in Swepsonville, North Carolina.

The company's first U.S. development was the 1989 Accord SEi. In the early to mid-1990s, HRA developed a series of derivative models including two generations of Accord Wagon (1991 and 1994), the 1998 Accord Coupe, and the 1997 Acura CL coupe (1997), based heavily on the Accord platform.

In the 2000s, the company created two generations of the Honda Pilot
Honda Pilot
The Honda Pilot is a mid-size crossover SUV. The Honda Pilot is built in Lincoln, Alabama, and was also produced in Alliston, Ontario, Canada up until April 2007. The first generation Pilot was released in the summer of 2002 as a 2003 model, and in 2006 it received new front and rear fascias, a...

 and Acura MDX
Acura MDX
The Acura MDX, or Honda MDX as known in Japan and Australia , is a mid-size luxury crossover SUV produced by the Japanese automaker Acura since the 2001 model year. The MDX was the first crossover SUV to have third-row seating. It is related to the Honda Pilot. The alphanumeric moniker stands for...

 sport-utility vehicles; three generations of the Acura TL
Acura TL
The TL "Touring Luxury" debuted as 1996 model, first with the 1996 2.5 TL available with the 2.5 L 176 hp SOHC 20-valve 5-cylinder engine from the Vigor. The 3.2 TL used the 3.2 L 200 hp SOHC 24v V6 from the second generation Acura Legend. The 2.5 TL was positioned as the...

 sedan; the Honda Element
Honda Element
The Honda Element is a compact crossover SUV based on a modified CR-V platform, manufactured in East Liberty, Ohio and marketed in the United States and Canada from December 2002.-Overview:...

 SUV; the 2006 Honda Ridgeline
Honda Ridgeline
The Honda Ridgeline is a mid to full size sport utility truck produced by the Japanese automaker Honda. The Ridgeline was released in March 2005 as a 2006 model and is Honda's intended first foray into the North American pickup truck market. Until 2009, the Ridgeline was built in Alliston,...

, Honda's first U.S. pickup truck; and the 2010 Acura ZDX
Acura ZDX
The Acura ZDX is a mid-size luxury crossover developed by Honda for its upmarket brand Acura. The car was originally scheduled to be called the Acura MSX. The ZDX debuted at the 2009 New York International Auto Show on April 8, 2009...

 crossover coupe. Both the 2001 MDX and 2006 Ridgeline earned recognition as North American Truck of the Year, as well as Motor Trend
Motor Trend
Motor Trend is an American automobile magazine. It first appeared in September 1949, issued by Petersen Publishing Company in Los Angeles, and bearing the tag line "The Magazine for a Motoring World". Petersen Publishing was sold to British publisher EMAP in 1998, who sold the former Petersen...

SUV of the Year (MDX) and Truck of the Year (Ridgeline), while the Pilot received five consecutive "5 Best Truck" awards from Car and Driver magazine (2003–2007).

In model year 2010, one-third of the Honda and Acura models sold in the U.S. and five of the eight light-trucks were models developed by Honda R&D Americas. In September 2010, the third generation Honda Odyssey
Honda Odyssey (North America)
The Honda Odyssey is a minivan manufactured by Japanese automaker Honda since 1994.The Odyssey had originally been conceived and engineered in Japan, in the wake of country's economic crisis of the 1990s – which in turn imposed severe constraints on the vehicle's size and overall concept,...

 minivan was released as a 2011 model, the most recent vehicle developed by the company exclusively in the U.S.

Motorsports

American Honda joined U.S. open-wheel racing competition with its entry into the Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) series in 1992, following Honda's four consecutive Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...

 World Championships, from 1988 to 1991. The company, under the auspices of its U.S. racing subsidiary, Honda Performance Development
Honda Performance Development
Honda Performance Development, Inc. is a subsidiary of American Honda Motor Co. which was establish in 1993 and is based in Santa Clarita, California...

 (HPD), captured six Driver's Championships and four Manufacturer's titles, winning 65 of 164 races between 1992 and 2002.

HPD entered the IndyCar Series
IndyCar Series
The IZOD IndyCar Series is the premier level of American open wheel racing. The current championship, founded by Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Tony George, began in 1996 as a competitor to CART known as the Indy Racing League . Citing CART's increasing reliance on expensive machinery and...

 in 2003 and from 2003 to 2005, Honda teams and drivers achieved 28 victories in 49 races, including the 2004 and 2005 Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...

s. Honda won the IndyCar Series Manufacturers' Championships in 2004 and 2005, while Honda-powered drivers won the drivers' championships in the same years. In 2006, Honda became the single engine supplier to the IndyCar Series and has committed itself to the series through 2011.

Since 2007, HPD has also provided engines to prototype-class teams in American Le Mans Series
American Le Mans Series
The American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón is a sports car racing series based in the United States and Canada. It consists of a series of endurance and sprint races, and was created in the spirit of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Teams compete in one of five classes: LMP1, LMP2 and LMPC...

sports-car racing, and these engines have scored numerous victories, beginning with an LMP2-class win in Honda's inaugural ALMS race, at Sebring in 2007. HPD was the first manufacturer to score ALMS class wins in both LMP1 and LMP2 on the same weekend with its wins at St. Petersburg in 2009. HPD went on to win LMP1 and LMP2 Manufacturers' Championships for Acura in 2009. In 2010, the company began providing engines and support for sports-car competition in both America and Europe, earning a class win in its inaugural attempt at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Advertising

During its history in the United States, Honda has had several taglines and produced a number of noteworthy advertising campaigns. Honda's first advertising slogan, promoting the Honda motorcycle to young families, was "You meet the nicest people on a Honda." The company's slogan in the 1980s was "We make it simple". By 1983, Honda's advertising budget, sponsoring National Football League games and other sporting events, rivaled the cost of building its Marysville motorcycle plant. In September 2007, the company launched its current marketing slogan, "Honda: The Power of Dreams".

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK