Honda Repair and Service PDF Manuals
In 1946, the Japanese automobile company Honda was established. Its founder, Soichiro Honda did not have the necessary engineering education, but he made up for all the gaps with risk and precise instinct. So, in 1947, the first Honda moped was presented, which was a modernized bicycle with a single-stroke power unit. At first, Soichiro's clients were his friends, who liked a reliable and compact scooter that could work in any conditions. However, after the release of the moped version with a two-stroke engine, success was not long in coming.
In 1949, the first Honda Dream motorcycle was introduced, which was equipped with a 0.1-liter engine with a capacity of 1/2 horsepower. In the same year, Takeo Fujisawa joined Honda and quickly became a sales manager, while Honda himself focused on the technology side of the brand.
By 1952, the company "Honda" is firmly established in Tokyo, and also expands its production by opening a plant for the production of Shirako engines. In the same year, a new update of the Dream motorcycle was released, which received a 1.2 horsepower power unit.
By 1959, the company expanded its range of motorcycles to 6 models of different classes, won all local motorcycle racing competitions, and the brand's share price has grown steadily, ranking tenth in value among all public companies in Japan. The turnover of motor vehicles is so extensive that in 1959 the company was officially considered the largest motorcycle manufacturer on the planet, and at the end of 1959 a branch of the brand was opened in the United States of America.
Thanks to the well-thought-out development strategy of the company, all of the Honda factories responsible for the production of various components are spun off into separate companies, and the head office in Tokyo becomes the base for the Honda conglomerate. In the first half of the 60s of the 20th century, the company consistently entered the markets of Germany, Taiwan and Belgium, bringing the total number of motorcycles produced to 10 thousand units per day.
However, Soichiro Honda has a new dream, which, it would seem, was not destined to come true - he submitted the project of the company's first car for discussion in the Japanese registration chamber, to which he was refused in a harsh manner. Because the government of the country was not interested in creating another car brand that could hinder the development of other car firms by creating internal competition.
Nevertheless, in 1963 the compact sports coupe Honda S500 was released, and in 1964 a small distribution truck T360 saw the light. In the same year, the company made an unexpected debut in Formula 1 racing, trying to use elite motorsport competitions as an opportunity to improve technology for creating new cars. So, the team takes part in the Grand Prix of France and Germany, and also participates in the Grand Prix of the United States of America as a special guest on the occasion of the release of the millionth copy of the Honda motorcycle in the United States. However, "Honda" is entrenched in the championship with its first victory at the 1965 Mexican Grand Prix. In 1968, the team left the Formula 1 racing championship in connection with the death of one of its racers, the Frenchman Jo Schlesser.
In 1969, thanks to the right strategic decision, the company entered the motorcycle markets of Mexico, Argentina and Brazil, and also began selling Honda cars in Italy.
In 1972, Honda released the Honda Civic compact hatchback, which many experts called too simple, and sales were not successful at first. However, a year later, the company updates the Civic power unit, reducing fuel consumption by 45%, and in 1974 the global fuel crisis begins, which negatively affects most automakers around the world, especially in Japan, where Toyota and Nissan were forced reduce your production volumes. At that time, the retired Soichiro proposes to the widow to increase the production of the Civic, while reducing the cost of the car, in the hope of making a profit through high sales and his decision bears fruit. Almost twice as many Honda vehicles were sold than in all previous years combined. The cars of the company were in special demand in the United States of America, where buyers turned their attention to small and economical cars. At the height of its success, in 1975, the company began offering the opportunity to borrow its own car, thus bypassing the need to cooperate with banks, where lending rates were too high and few buyers resorted to their services.
And in 1976, Honda released the Accord model, which is positioned as an inexpensive family car. The second generation Accord began to be produced already at the factories of Honda in the USA in 1982, providing the most attractive price in the class.
In 1981, the concern sets another record, producing more than 5 million power units, as well as concluding agreements on the transfer of its technologies for the production of fuel-efficient engines with brands such as Chrysler, Ford and Suzuki.
After 2 years, Honda returns to Formula 1 racing as a partner of the McLaren team in engine production, which has resulted in 6 individual victories and the same number of constructors' cup victories. It also begins production of motorcycles for the Paris-Dakar races, where Honda has been the sole leader for over 20 years.
In 1986, a subsidiary of Honda, Acura, entered the American automotive market, specializing in the production of luxury versions of Honda cars, thus relegating brands such as Cadillac and Lincoln to the background. Next, Honda's example was followed by Nissan and Toyota, founding Infiniti and Lexus, respectively.
By 1990, Honda became the fourth-best-selling automaker in the US and Canada, and also ranks second in Japan and Europe, significantly ahead of all other competitors. In the same year, a completely new supercar NSX was released, which was supposed to compete with the cars of the legendary Ferrari brand.
By 1995, the company has in its model range cars of all existing classes, as well as begins development in the field of alternative energy, presenting a new generation of gas and hydrogen engines, and also opens two research centers and ultra-modern factories in the United States and China.
By the year 2000, the company became the third largest selling civilian and motto equipment in the world, continuously investing in new technologies. So, in 2003, the world's first hybrid cars were presented on the United States market, and in 2005 the first generation of eco-cars was released, which used only hydrogen engines and solar batteries.
In 2006, the company returns to Formula 1 again, having fielded its own team with the support of the tobacco giant BAT, but apart from the only victory won in its debut year, nothing grandiose is celebrated. In 2009, the company, having already created a new car for the next season of Formula 1, unexpectedly announces its retirement from the competition, due to the fact that the consequences of the global economic crisis have affected the company's well-being much more seriously than previously thought. And the Japanese government has pledged to impose an additional tax on the stamp if it continues to invest in other countries. Thus, the company left its team, selling it for $ 1 to Ross Brown, who has been building the car since 2009. A team under his name wins both championships, and Honda CEO Takeo Fukui resigns due to a poorly chosen sporting strategy.
In 2010, the renewal of the entire model range of the company begins, which gradually increases the demand for Honda cars, returning it to the leading position. A year later, the company announces the start of work on the second generation electric motors, which, as promised by the management of Honda, represented by the new manager, Takanobu Ito, will go on sale in 2015 and will be installed on all current models of the brand. In 2012, the company opens another representative office in China, separating factories for the production of its products for the automotive market in Central Asia into a separate structure.
In 2013, Warranty Direct, one of the largest insurance companies in the UK, together with the Whatcar portal conducted a study, which was attended by 38 representatives of the global automotive industry. According to its results, Honda cars were recognized as the most reliable. It should be noted that the company showed such high results for the eighth year in a row. In the same study, powertrain malfunction rates were calculated for each car, and here Honda again won its honorable first place with an indicator of 0.29%.
In the same year, Honda cars were included in the list of the safest vehicles in the country according to the results of crash tests carried out by the US Highway Safety Institute. The essence of the test was that a frontal collision with a half-meter concrete curb was simulated for each participant. As a result, the safest cars included: Honda Civic 4D and 2D, Honda Odyssey, Honda Accord 2D and 4D, Acura MDX, Acura RLX and Acura TL.
In 2015, J.D. Power. The study involved 100 representatives of each brand. Honda, with a score of 116, took the fifth position in the ranking, thus once again confirming the high quality and safety of its vehicles.