From a young age, Honda's founder, Soichiro Honda, was extremely interested in automobiles. He worked as a mechanic and tuned cars to enter them in races. He started out by making small two cycle motorbike engines. He pawned his wife’s jewelry for collateral so he could develop a piston design which he eventually sold to Toyota. Shortly thereafter, an earthquake destroyed the building. Because of a gasoline shortage during World War II, Honda was unable to use his car. His idea of attaching a motor to a bicycle made everyone curious. He established the Honda Technical Research Institute in Japan. They would produce the two cycle motor bike engines. Contacting about 18,000 bicycle shop owners across Japan, he got enough money and support to build his first Motorcycle, the Honda Cub. Thus the Honda Motor Company was born.

Made in Japan, Honda manufactures automobiles and motorcycles. Honda is and has been the world’s largest motorcycle manufacturer, since 1959. In 2001, Honda became the second largest Japanese automobile manufacturer. In 2008, Honda became the fourth largest automobile manufacturer in the United States. They are also the sixth largest automobile manufacturer in the world. Honda was also the first to release a luxury brand automobile in 1986, and they also make garden equipment, marine engines, personal watercraft and power generators. They have also worked on artificial intelligence and robotics, along with aerospace engines.