Soichiro Honda

Soichiro Honda was a Japanese engineer and industrialist who founded Honda Motor Co., Ltd. and transformed it from a small bicycle motor manufacturer to a global leader in automobile and motorcycle production. He was born in 1906 in a rural village in Shizuoka prefecture, where he developed a fascination for machinery and invention from an early age. He moved to Tokyo at 15 to work as a car mechanic and later opened his own repair shop in Hamamatsu. He also became interested in racing and built his own cars and engines. In 1937, he established Tōkai Seiki, a company that produced piston rings for Toyota. During World War II, his factories were bombed and destroyed, and he sold the remnants of his business to Toyota in 1945. He then founded the Honda Technical Research Institute, which became Honda Motor Co., Ltd. in 1948. He started by producing motorized bicycles, using surplus engines from the war. He soon developed his own engines and motorcycles, which became popular for their quality and performance. He expanded his business to overseas markets, especially the United States, where he challenged the dominance of Harley-Davidson and other established brands. He also entered the automobile industry in 1963, producing small and fuel-efficient cars that appealed to customers during the oil crisis of the 1970s. He was known for his innovative and unconventional engineering solutions, such as the CVCC engine, which met the strict emission standards of the US without using a catalytic converter. He also pioneered new management practices, such as the Honda Way, which encouraged creativity, teamwork, and continuous improvement among his employees. He retired from the presidency of Honda Motor Co., Ltd. in 1973, but remained involved as a director and adviser. He also established the Honda Foundation, which promotes environmental and humanistic education. He died in 1991 of liver failure at the age of 84. He was widely regarded as one of the most influential and visionary entrepreneurs and engineers of the 20th century.