Honda Marked 50 American Years

Fifty years ago from yesterday, American Honda Motor Co. was establishing in a small Los Angeles storefront. Since then, from the fuel-efficient Honda 50 motorcycle to the 2010 Honda insight gas-electric hybrid vehicle, Honda brought to America new technologies and business strategies.

"On behalf of the tens of thousands of Honda associates in America, past and present, we offer our deepest thanks to our customers for placing their trust in Honda over the past 50 years," said American Honda President & CEO Tetsuo Iwamura. "Today, in the face of new challenges, including the preservation of our environment, we renew our commitment to exceed the expectations of our customers and society."

Honda was the first Japanese automaker to build motorcycles (1979) and automobiles (1982) in America, and also the first Japanese automaker to establish a luxury automobile brand -- Acura (1986). A milestone was set when Honda launched the first government-certified hydrogen fuel cell vehicles -- FCX (2002).

Today, Honda has more than 27,000 U.S. associates engaged in the design, manufacturing, sale and servicing of Honda and Acura products including automobiles, motorcycles, ATVs, personal water craft, power equipment, and an advanced light jet.

Honda has 10 U.S. manufacturing plants with two new plants under construction, and more than 12 regional sales, parts and service, and finance offices around the country. The company's network of U.S. parts suppliers comprises 545 companies in 34 states.

"Looking to the future, we are committed to advancing Honda's legacy of environmental leadership to help address the twin challenges of global climate change and energy sustainability," said Iwamura. "Along with a renewed focus on quality, we begin our next fifty years by accelerating our efforts to develop and deploy new technologies that put Honda at the forefront of this global challenge, to create a cleaner and more sustainable future for generations to come."