So there are four hundred million. "That's a lot!" We know that Honda is the greatest motorcycle maker in the world. The brand is so strong that 'Honda' is the collective name for all motorcycle brands in Malay, the language of - who remembers? - our former colony of the Dutch East Indies. As in: "The only Honda I drive is a Suzuki."
Soichiro Honda was born in 1906
His father was a blacksmith. The young Honda had a feeling for technology. In 1928 he started his own garage. In 1937 he started a piston ring factory and in that field he learned a lot about metallurgy. The case received a nice boost by the Second World War and an earthquake, respectively. But after the war, Honda went full out for the motorization of its country. 1947 was the birth year of Honda's first motorcycle, and it was immediately successful. The Honda Motorcycle Company was founded in 1948.
The approach
The guiding ideals that shape Honda to this day are born at that time. The basic principle of the company was laid down: "From a global perspective, we are committed to delivering products of the highest quality and at a reasonable price for global customer satisfaction."
The tsunami of success
1958: That was the year of birth of Honda's superstar. The Honda Super Cub is a simple, cheap motorcycle for almost everyone. The approach was that there were a lot of ant restaurants in Japan that also delivered to your home. If every ant restaurant became a customer…. Countless more customers came. The Cub is not only super because of its name; his direct descendants are still in production today. This austere two-wheeler is what the A Ford was for automobile construction: Everyone could afford one, and he always did it. Honda has not grown big by selling Goldwings, but by selling millions of light motorcycles to countries where the residents did not yet have any money for cars.
At the very beginning of the XNUMXs, Honda did something earth-shattering: He made motorcycling in the States a socially accepted activity with the slogan "You meet the nicest people on a Honda".
At that time, the brand also began to profile itself in competitions. And the British still thought they were the best and biggest motorcycle makers in the world. They harbored a mild combination of aversion and underestimation towards The Yellow Danger. 'Weird guys, those Japanese. They make crazy mopeds. It's not going to be him. ”
In the meantime, a lot of Honda's became classics
Honda grew in a time of economic growth. Old machines were no longer cherished, but used up and thrown away. Of course the production numbers cooperate. But it is a cheering compliment for the brand that there are so many survivors. And that you no longer buy a nice CB750 for 2.000 guilders, say 900 euros? Well, that's just bad luck.
Honda currently has 35 factories in 25 countries. And a lot of Hondas are no longer 'Made in Japan' but 'Made in the USA' or somewhere in Europe. Honda has literally become a global brand The times when Soichiro Honda walked through his factory and slapped employees who were not working to his liking are over.
But Honda has since become a brand with a legendary past and a future with even more perspective. Let's see how the flag will look in about fifty years.
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