Cumulative worldwide Honda vehicle production has reached 100 million units.
Honda began car production in 1963 with the T360 mini-truck and the S500 sports car. A year later it opened its first dedicated automobile production plant in Sayama City, Saitama Prefecture and began production of a further model, the iconic S600 roadster.
Since that time, Honda has continued to increased its annual production volume, enhancing its line up and exporting the brand to an ever wider range of countries. The current line-up in the UK focuses on global models such as the Jazz and Civic but these are supplemented by the HR-V and CR-V SUVs along with the latest incarnation of the NSX.
Takahiro Hachigo, President and CEO of Honda Motor, commented, “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.”
Today, in 2016, Honda has 34 automobile production facilities on five continents.
Here’s a handy Honda timeline featuring some key production milestones:
- 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