Honda: From a Hot-Water Bottle to Hybrids
In short: How a mechanic's bicycle engines in post-war Hamamatsu grew into the world's leading motorcycle maker, a carmaker that answered America's clean-air rules, and a company now steering toward hybrids.
A 2:12 short film in the series “The Story Behind”, narrated by intellect_voice_01.
Sources used in this film: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Global heritage site), “Honda Global | Encounter with a Cast-off Military Surplus Engine / 1946”; Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (official corporate history site), “Honda”; Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (global.honda), “The 1960s Trajectory of Challenges|Honda”; Fast Lane Only, “Honda CVCC engine: beating 1975 rules without a catalyst”; Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Global heritage site), “Honda Global | The NSX / 1990”; Encyclopaedia Britannica (Britannica Money), “Honda Soichiro | Founder, Automotive Engineer, Entrepreneur | Britannica Money”; Humans of History (humansofhistory.com), “Soichiro Honda: Engineer Who Built a Global Empire”; Los Angeles Times (archive obituary, 6 August 1991), “Soichiro Honda, Founder of Auto Giant, Dead at 84 : Entrepreneur: Japanese inventor revolutionized the motorcycle and built one of world's largest car firms.”; Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Global heritage site), “Honda Global | Introducing the CVCC / 1972”; Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Global corporate website; a primary source, not independent), “History of robotics development|Honda Global Corporate Website”; StockTitan (republishing a Honda Motor Co., Ltd. press release distributed via PR Newswire, 13 May 2025), “Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (HMC:NYSE) announced its consolidated financial results for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2025”; Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Global Corporate Website, newsroom), “Summary of 2025 Honda Business Briefing | Honda Global Corporate Website”; Hemmings, “A three-valve cylinder head was the key to Honda's catalytic converter-free CVCC engine | The Online Automotive Marketplace | Hemmings, The World's Largest Collector Car Marketplace”; Formula One World Championship Limited (Formula1.com, the official Formula 1 website), “F1 - The Official Home of Formula 1® Racing”; F1Archive (formula1archive.com), “1965 Mexican Grand Prix — Full Race Results”.
Sources used in this film
- Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Global heritage site) — Honda Global | Encounter with a Cast-off Military Surplus Engine / 1946 · View →
- Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (official corporate history site) — Honda · View →
- Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (global.honda) — The 1960s Trajectory of Challenges|Honda · View →
- Fast Lane Only — Honda CVCC engine: beating 1975 rules without a catalyst · View →
- Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Global heritage site) — Honda Global | The NSX / 1990 · View →
- Encyclopaedia Britannica (Britannica Money) — Honda Soichiro | Founder, Automotive Engineer, Entrepreneur | Britannica Money · View →
- Humans of History (humansofhistory.com) — Soichiro Honda: Engineer Who Built a Global Empire · View →
- Los Angeles Times (archive obituary, 6 August 1991) — Soichiro Honda, Founder of Auto Giant, Dead at 84 : Entrepreneur: Japanese inventor revolutionized the motorcycle and built one of world's largest car firms. · View →
- Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Global heritage site) — Honda Global | Introducing the CVCC / 1972 · View →
- Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Global corporate website; a primary source, not independent) — History of robotics development|Honda Global Corporate Website · View →
- StockTitan (republishing a Honda Motor Co., Ltd. press release distributed via PR Newswire, 13 May 2025) — Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (HMC:NYSE) announced its consolidated financial results for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2025 · View →
- Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Global Corporate Website, newsroom) — Summary of 2025 Honda Business Briefing | Honda Global Corporate Website · View →
- Hemmings — A three-valve cylinder head was the key to Honda's catalytic converter-free CVCC engine | The Online Automotive Marketplace | Hemmings, The World's Largest Collector Car Marketplace · View →
- Formula One World Championship Limited (Formula1.com, the official Formula 1 website) — F1 - The Official Home of Formula 1® Racing · View →
- F1Archive (formula1archive.com) — 1965 Mexican Grand Prix — Full Race Results · View →
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Global heritage site): Honda Global | Encounter with a Cast-off Military Surplus Engine / 1946
- Also: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (official corporate history site): Honda
- Also: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (global.honda): The 1960s Trajectory of Challenges|Honda
- Also: Fast Lane Only: Honda CVCC engine: beating 1975 rules without a catalyst
- Also: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Global heritage site): Honda Global | The NSX / 1990
- Also: Encyclopaedia Britannica (Britannica Money): Honda Soichiro | Founder, Automotive Engineer, Entrepreneur | Britannica Money
- Also: Humans of History (humansofhistory.com): Soichiro Honda: Engineer Who Built a Global Empire
- Also: Los Angeles Times (archive obituary, 6 August 1991): Soichiro Honda, Founder of Auto Giant, Dead at 84 : Entrepreneur: Japanese inventor revolutionized the motorcycle and built one of world's largest car firms.
- Also: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Global heritage site): Honda Global | Introducing the CVCC / 1972
- Also: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Global corporate website; a primary source, not independent): History of robotics development|Honda Global Corporate Website
- Also: StockTitan (republishing a Honda Motor Co., Ltd. press release distributed via PR Newswire, 13 May 2025): Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (HMC:NYSE) announced its consolidated financial results for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2025
- Also: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Global Corporate Website, newsroom): Summary of 2025 Honda Business Briefing | Honda Global Corporate Website
- Also: Hemmings: A three-valve cylinder head was the key to Honda's catalytic converter-free CVCC engine | The Online Automotive Marketplace | Hemmings, The World's Largest Collector Car Marketplace
- Also: Formula One World Championship Limited (Formula1.com, the official Formula 1 website): F1 - The Official Home of Formula 1® Racing
- Also: F1Archive (formula1archive.com): 1965 Mexican Grand Prix — Full Race Results
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