Where are Honda engines made?

Honda Motor Company, Ltd.

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Also known as: Honda Giken Kōgyō KK
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Last Updated: Apr 26, 2023 • Article History
Table of Contents

Honda Civic

Recent News

Apr. 26, 2023, 3:27 AM ET (AP)

Honda is gearing up for an electrification shift in North America with two models developed with General Motors going on sale next year, and a bigger EV with a new platform in 2025, a year earlier than initially announced

Honda Motor Company, Ltd., Japanese Honda Giken Kōgyō KK, leading Japanese manufacturer of motorcycles and a major producer of automobiles for the world market. Headquarters are in Tokyo. Since 1959 it has been the top-selling motorcycle company in the world.

The engineer Honda Soichiro founded the Honda Technical Research Institute near Hamamatsu in 1946 to develop small, efficient internal-combustion engines. It was incorporated as Honda Motor Company in 1948 and began producing motorcycles in 1949. The Honda C-100, a small-engine motorcycle, was introduced in 1953. In 1959 the company established a U.S. subsidiary, the American Honda Motor Company, which began producing motorcycles in the United States in 1979 and automobiles in 1982. In 1969 Honda introduced the popular CB750, the first “superbike,” which had a 750-cc engine, disc brakes, and an electric starter.

While Honda is the world leader in producing motorcycles, the bulk of the company’s annual sales comes from automobiles, which the company began manufacturing in 1963. Its first cars were the T360 small truck and the S500 sports car. Among its lightweight, fuel-efficient passenger cars have been the popular Civic (1972– ) and Accord (1976– ) models; Honda also has the luxury car line Acura. The company’s other major product areas include farm machinery and small engines. Honda is a major Japanese exporter to the United States and to other parts of the world. It also has assembly plants in a number of other countries and is engaged in joint ventures and technology-licensing agreements with several foreign companies.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Erik Gregersen.

How Honda Develops Engines

How does Honda develop their world-renowned small engines? It takes an effort spread across research and development facilities across the globe. Borrowing design tools, materials and other developments across the company, engineers both here and abroad work to make sure that each engine fits their applications and each application fits their engines, even if they aren’t made by Honda.

Developing Engines Hand-in-Hand with Applications

Honda introduced their first general purpose engine just 5 years after opening their doors, and they started making waves in 1954 with its follow-up, the four-stroke T-type. In a market dominated by two strokes and big diesels, this engine stood out for its ease of use. It was first used in backpack sprayers shipped to Brazil, but the engine would find its true place in the domestic market. With more people heading to Japan’s cities to find work, farmers needed a way to do more work with less manpower. Demand for labor-saving devices skyrocketed, leading Honda to start building their own small-scale farming equipment.

From that point forward, the small engine division and the power equipment division were linked. While other engine manufacturers acted independently, Honda was able to find and address issues in their engine designs by developing them side-by-side with equipment. This can be seen in their entry into two markets: compact generators and lawnmowers.

Sony introduced their portable Micro-TV in 1962, leading Honda to develop an equally tiny generator prototype to use this portable television on the go. Seeing the potential for such a device, they launched the world’s first compact generator, the E300, in 1965. To get this new design to work, they designed a new 50 cc engine specifically for the application and in the process introduced the world’s first timing belt.

50ccWith the release of their first mower in 1978, they introduced a unique blade brake clutch system that would shut off the blades if the operator lets go of the handle. This made the mower safer and ended the hassle of restarts required with competing systems. This feature is still built into some of their lawn mower engines today.

Developing an Engine

Honda’s small engines start their development at the small equipment lab at Honda R&D Co, Ltd, located in the outskirts of Tokyo. Sitting between two elementary schools, this small office building houses everything you’d expect to see in an automobile development lab, but on a smaller scale. Advanced CAD and simulation software is used to develop prototypes which are put through a battery of tests on-site. These tests include everything from cold weather testing in a room that has artificial snowfall to a high-temperature room that can stress and prematurely age engines to quickly identify the sources of common breakdowns. The quietness of Honda’s engines is the result of tests in an anechoic chamber. It blocks all outside noise so engineers can isolate and identify where noises come from inside the engine.

These designers are able to use production techniques and materials developed in Honda’s labs across the globe. In the U.S. alone, Honda has 14 research and development centers working on everything from jet engines to new materials. Honda also performs final small engine development for North America at a research center in Haw River, NC. Established in 1993, this 11,000 square foot facility makes sure each model can tolerate our widely varying weather conditions while meeting emissions standards.

Working with Equipment Manufacturers

When an equipment company wants to use a Honda engine in their products, they don’t just order a few units and bolt them on. Instead, they go through a development process with Honda to make sure the engine and equipment are fully compatible.

First, the manufacturer contacts a regional distributor. Together, they work out what engine will best fit the application as well as pricing, availability, technical requirements and other issues.

Once the manufacturer knows the basics, they can build a Honda-powered prototype. This equipment is then tested at the Haw River lab to make sure the engine will work properly. This includes factors like oil temperature, vibration, operating speeds and engine loads. Wiring and mounting systems are also inspected to make sure they’ll be reliable.

Media

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October 12, 2017

Honda Engine Production in Ohio Reaches 25 Million Milestone

Oct 12, 2017 – ANNA, OH Associates at Honda’s Anna, Ohio engine plant, the largest Honda engine plant in the world, today celebrated the.

Oct 12, 2017 — ANNA, OH

Associates at Honda’s Anna, Ohio engine plant, the largest Honda engine plant in the world, today celebrated the 25 millionth engine produced since Honda of America Mfg., Inc. opened the facility in 1985.
Honda recently invested $47 million in the Anna Engine Plant for the introduction of the new engine lineup for 2018 Honda Accord, including two new, direct-injected VTEC Turbo 4-cylinder engines and the 2.0 i-VTEC Atkinson Cycle engine for the Accord Hybrid. Total investment at the plant now exceeds $2.7 billion.
“Building 25 million engines is not just a major production milestone, but symbolic of the passion and commitment invested by our associates, past and present, to satisfy 25 million customers,” said Paul Dentinger, plant manager of the Anna Engine Plant. “We continue to invest in our plant and our people to build a new generation of Honda engine products for customers here and around the world.”
The 25 millionth engine, produced on Line 4, was a 1.5-liter turbo that will be installed in an all-new 2018 Accord, assembled 45 miles to the east at the Marysville Auto Plant. The Anna Engine Plant also makes the turbo engine that powers the Civic Type-R built in the U.K., the most powerful engine ever offered in a Honda production vehicle in the U.S.
The Anna facility supplies engines and components for 14 Honda and Acura products made in Ohio, Indiana, Alabama, Canada and other locations across the globe. The Anna Engine Plant has four assembly lines and two casting operations.
The Anna Engine plant reached its milestone 32 years after it opened. At its current production rate – 1.18 million engines annually – it will take only 21 years for Anna to build another 25 million engines.
About Honda
Honda has been producing automobiles in America for 35 years and currently operates 19 major manufacturing facilities in North America, including nine auto plants. Honda currently has the capacity to produce 1.92 million vehicles in North America and, in 2016, more than 95% of all Honda and Acura vehicles sold in the U.S. were made in North America, using domestic and globally sourced parts. In 2016, more than 68 percent of all Honda and Acura automobiles sold in the U.S. were made in America, more than any other major automaker except one.
About the Anna Engine Plant
The Anna Engine Plant is the largest Honda engine plant in the world. It produces more than 1.18 million engines annually, in addition to various high precision components for Honda plants around the world. The 2.5 million square foot plant employs 3,200 associates, responsible for production of four cylinder, V6 and a new line of turbo engines. In spring 2016, master builders at the Anna plant also began serial production of the hand assembled twin turbo engine for the Acura NSX, the only supercar made in America.