Soichiro Honda

Soichiro Honda (Japanese本田 宗一郎Soichiro Honda, born November 17, 1906 in Komyo, Iwata County (now Hamamatsu ), Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, † August 5, 1991 ) was a Japanese entrepreneur.

In 1948, Honda established the Honda Corporation, which quickly developed into one of the leading motor vehicle and engine manufacturers. He remained until 1973, President of Honda.

He spent his childhood in the bicycle repair shop of his father, whom he helped with the repairs. At the age of 16 years, Honda went to Tokyo, where he accepted a teaching position in an auto repair shop. There he worked for six years as a mechanic until he in 1928 as a 22 - year-old young man returned to his home town Komyo, there to open his own workshop.

At that time, Honda began with participation in various races, but after a serious car accident in which he had several serious injuries and broken bones suffered, he was asked by his wife to give up this hobby.

Underutilized Through his work in the workshop, he founded in 1937 Tokai Seiki Heavy Industry ( TSHI ), a company that produced piston rings. This sold Soichiro Honda eleven years later (1948 ) at the price of 450,000 yen to Toyota.

In the same year (1948 ) Honda began as president of Honda Corporation in the production of motorcycles. Through intelligent marketing strategies and excellent technical services, the Group managed to ascend to the motorcycle manufacturer with the world's highest sales a few years later. In 1959, Honda launched the sale of its motorcycles in the United States. He has been involved in 1963 were also automobiles, such as the Honda T360 and S500 Honda developed. Soichiro Honda was personally present on August 29, 1963, when the S500 was introduced on a Rhine steamer at Koblenz for the first time the European public.

Until his retirement in 1973, Soichiro Honda remained president of the company. Even after his official resignation, he devoted most of his time working in conjunction with the Honda Corporation.

1991 Honda was awarded the James Watt Medal. He died the same year from a liver disease.