Journey to extraordinary
One great idea leads to another
OpenASIMO was born from a dream to push the limits of robotics engineering. Where would it take us?
Two decades since the project began, ASIMO can walk, run, navigate uneven surfaces, grasp objects, and make intelligent decisions based on its surroundings; ASIMO is the most technologically advanced humanoid robot of its kind.
The ASIMO project also marked an instinctive Honda philosophy – to explore our dreams through a passion for engineering. It’s this thinking that inspired our Idea Contest, an annual Honda event where employees presented their most radical designs.
This engineering spirit has led to a host of technologies that address real-world problems. For example, our RC213V-S road going superbike is home to state of the art position-detection technology – developed through the ASIMO project. And our High-Access Survey Robot used ASIMO’s limb control technologies to work in areas of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant considered too dangerous for humans. There are plenty more inventions still to come – all inspired by wild engineering dreams.
Evolve on the racetrack
OpenIn 1954, Soichiro Honda declared his ambition to win at the very highest level of motorcycle racing. “Let us bring together the full strength of Honda Motor Co.,” he implored.
Since then, we’ve built machine after machine – sent to battle it out on the toughest racetracks of the world. Shoulder to shoulder. Wheel to wheel. There have been glorious wins and devastating failures. But at the end of each race, we’ve brought home as many invaluable lessons as we have trophies.
Racing’s helped us achieve new levels of performance for both our track and road-going motorcycle. And in 2014, fifty years after Mr Honda’s declaration, we claimed the Constructors’ title for a record-extending 63rd time.
Rise to the challenge
OpenSometimes, it’s our customers that do the thinking…
Our customers wanted something with the presence of an SUV, the looks of a coupé, and the space of a people carrier. This meant building a whole new car, in a whole new segment – was it possible?
We responded with the Honda HR-V – a sleek, agile, and versatile little number with bags of room. It was made possible by cleverly configuring its design with a central fuel tank, which ensures it has the efficiency of a saloon with the comfort of a car twice its size. Quite remarkable, really.
Others agreed. The HR-V soon captured the imagination of the masses and after its debut at the Geneva motor show, sparked a storm of anticipation among the European press. Just wait ‘till our customers drive it…
Setting the pace
OpenThe Type R threw down the gauntlet to each and every car in its class.
When dreaming up the new Civic Type R, we announced our ambition to build a true racecar for the road. To honour this pledge, it would have to be the fastest front-wheel drive vehicle to ever lap the formidable Nürburgring racetrack.
We spent hours, days, and weeks running the Type R ragged on our track in Tochigi, Japan. It helped us fine-tune the race-inspired aerodynamics and crank performance and handling to their very limits.
In May 2014, we set the Nürburgring racetrack ablaze with a lap time of 7m 50.63s. It smashed the previous front-wheel drive record by over three seconds, and the Civic Type R claimed the title of fastest FWD hot hatch to ever have been built.
A racing touch
OpenOur original supercar was inspired by F1™ performance.
The NSX was our first chance to bring our passion for Formula One™ to our road cars. It was an exotic experiment of engineering ingenuity – carefully developed by a specialist team over six years.
Coupled with a twin-turbocharged V6 engine, the new NSX’s sport hybrid power unit incorporates three electric motors.
Two help power each front wheel for instantaneous torque. The third electric motor sits between the engine and gearbox, and boosts acceleration, braking and transmission performance.
Why stick to what you know?
OpenWe put our engineering talents to a brand new challenge. It really took off.
In 1986, a young Honda engineer asked himself, “How could a light jet become more efficient, more elegant, more advanced?” A challenge far removed from Honda’s day-to-day work with cars and motorcycles.
Since then, we aimed to redefine the business jet from the ground up. Over the last 20 years, we established a HondaJet research facility, then went on to make countless test flights of engine and fuselage designs. Then in 2014, the production spec HondaJet took to the skies with its very first flight.
By ingeniously mounting engines over the wing and employing a lighter yet strong composite fuselage, the HondaJet cruises faster, soars higher, and uses less fuel than anything else in its class. And this is just the beginning.
Where racing spirit is born
OpenWe design, we test, we tweak. Then we tweak some more.
After tasting success in motorcycle racing, Mr Honda’s ambition turned to Formula One™: the fastest motorsport on four wheels. It demands not just speed, but intuitive engineering that keeps pace with the sport’s ever-changing demands.
Throughout the late 80s and early 90s, we relished one of our most triumphant periods of F1™ success. We not only claimed four Drivers’ Championships, 44 Grand Prix wins, 53 pole positions, and 30 fastest laps with McLaren, but with the help of Williams, Honda won six consecutive Constructors’ titles, too. It was the result of engineering superiority and the talents of now legendary racing drivers.
In 2015, Formula One™ has transformed itself again – this time with a new demand for efficiency. It’s a challenge close to our hearts. To face it, we’ve rekindled our historic partnership with McLaren.
