Think you know Honda? Even if you have driven Honda vehicles your whole life, you may not be as familiar with the automaker as you think you are. While you probably know the Honda lineup and are familiar with the American models, you are unlikely to know everything. Here are just a few things that are probably new to you.
Honda Began with Motorcycles
Most people don’t know that company began with motorcycles. Soichiro Honda opened the Honda Technical Research Institute in October 1946 with the goal of manufacturing 2-cycle motorcycle engines. Honda Motor Company Ltd. was created two years later, and the first shop opened in LA in 1959. With this beginning, you may or may not be surprised to learn that the early cars from Honda had the 2-cylinder engines from motorcycles.
Racing Has Been Key
Throughout the years, Honda has relied on creating racecars to make vehicles that are more durable, lighter, stronger, and faster. In fact, the RA270 Formula 1 vehicle was made a priority over production vehicles.
There Are Honda Jets
There is actually a HondaJet being worked on. It is the fastest, quietest, most fuel-efficient, and highest-flying jet within its class. There are 25 aircraft on the North Carolina plant’s final assembly line at the moment.
A History of Turbo Engines
Even though recent Honda models just received innovative turbocharged engines, the automaker has been working with these engines since the early portion of the 1980s. It has also released multiple vehicles with turbocharged engines in Japan.
First for Hydrogen, Hybrids, and American-Made Models
Your assumptions about the first hybrids, hydrogen vehicles, and American-made models may be wrong. Honda actually created the first hybrid model around a year before Toyota developed the Prius; it just wasn’t as popular. The FCX Clarity was the first hydrogen-powered model available in the United States, and Honda was the first Japanese automotive company to make a North American plant in 1982.
More Than Autos
Today, Honda continues to be about more than just cars. Some examples would be the UNI-CUB, a futuristic electric unicycle, and the Walking Assist Device.
Not Just Transportation
The examples mentioned above still involve transportation, but Honda is interested in more than this. The company also works on snow blowers and boat motors, and it makes the robots found on Honda assembly lines.
With your newfound knowledge of everything Honda has to offer, visit O’Daniel Honda in Omaha, Nebraska, to find your own Honda vehicle.
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