273,973 years is how long it would have taken Honda to build 100 million automobiles with a production rate of one per day. Fortunately, mass-production techniques enabled Japan’s Honda Motor Company to achieve this astounding goal in just 53 years.
Honda ignited its use of mass-production in 1963 with the manufacture of the T360 mini truck at their Saitama factory#1. That same year, they also launched production of the tiny S500 sports car at the Hamamatsu Factory#2 in Shizuoka Prefecture. By 1964, Honda had established a new plant at Sayama City, Saitama Prefecture, dedicated exclusively to the production of automobiles.
Honda T360 mini-truck
Honda S500
First Generation Honda Civic
2017 Honda Civic Sedan
From that point forward, Honda evolved into today’s global car company, known and admired around the world by drivers of all ages and backgrounds. Here’s a brief historical overview:
| 1948 | Honda Motor Co., Ltd. established |
| 1963 | Production of the T360 mini-truck started at Saitama Factory |
| 1969 | Production of N600 and TN360 by component parts sets started in Taiwan.
(Honda’s first overseas auto production) Production of N360 started in Malaysia |
| 1975 | Production of Civic and other models started in Indonesia |
| 1978 | Cumulative worldwide production of automobiles reached 5 million units |
| 1982 | Production of Accord started in the U.S. |
| 1983 | Cumulative worldwide production of automobiles reached 10 million units |
| 1984 | Production of Accord started in Thailand |
| 1986 | Production of Accord started in Canada |
| 1990 | Cumulative worldwide production of automobiles reached 20 million units |
| 1992 | Production of Accord started in the U.K. |
| 1994 | Production of Civic started in Pakistan |
| 1995 | Cumulative worldwide production of automobiles reached 30 million units
Production of Accord started in Mexico |
| 1997 | Production of Civic started in Brazil and Turkey
Production of City started in India |
| 1999 | Cumulative worldwide production of automobiles reached 40 million units
Production of Accord started in China |
| 2003 | Cumulative worldwide production of automobiles reached 50 million units |
| 2015 | Production of Accord started in Nigeria |
| 2016 | Cumulative worldwide production of automobiles reached 100 million units |
Like a kid nailing a straight ‘A’ report card, Mr. Takahiro Hachigo, President of Honda Motor Company, spoke proudly of his company’s accomplishment.
“Thanks to the support from our customers around the world, Honda was able to deliver 100 million automobiles. The passion of our company founder who wanted to help people in their daily lives and pursue the joy of driving has been inherited by Honda associates as the original starting point of Honda automobile manufacturing. Striving to meet the next 100 million customers, Honda will continue delivering increasingly attractive products.”