INNOVATOR'S PASSION REMEMBERED
Friday, November 17, 2006 - Kyodo News - The Japan Times - search.japantimes.co.jp
As Honda Motor Co. on Friday commemorates the 100th anniversary of the birth of founder Soichiro Honda, the company is continuing to develop new technologies to survive an anticipated global shakeup of the industry.
Soichiro Honda, founder of Honda Motor Co., poses on the firm's Dream motorcycle in 1957. KYODO PHOTO
Honda founded Honda Motor in 1948 and turned it into a huge global automaker before stepping down as president in 1973. He died in 1991 at the age of 84.
"Don't be afraid to make a mistake" was a favorite phrase of the engineer, according to Honda officials who knew him.
Legend has it that when he found out he was to receive the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Sacred Treasure in 1981, he planned to attend the ceremony in an engineer's white work outfit, saying it was the engineer's formal dress. But people close to him convinced him to give up the idea.
The starting point of the Honda empire was an auxiliary engine for a bicycle that the engineer developed shortly after World War II.
That invention led to the creation of motorcycles and cars, with Honda today rolling out more than 3 million vehicles annually worldwide with annual sales of more than 10 trillion yen.
In recent years, Honda has expanded into humanoid robots and small jet aircraft.
Honda President Takeo Fukui, one of the few active Honda workers who worked directly under the founder on the engineering floor, still remembers Honda's enthusiasm for his work.
"He was thoroughly conscientious and dedicated at all times. His passion was amazing," Fukui recalled in a recent interview.
Honda had a great love of Formula One racing, and the company continues to be a big player on the F1 circuit.
"F1 has become a symbolic activity in which we pass the 'Honda spirit' on to the next generation," Fukui said.
Honda has had sluggish domestic sales, due in part to the public's swing toward fuel-efficient minicars sold by its rivals. In January-October vehicle sales, Honda is in fourth position just behind minivehicle maker Suzuki Motor Corp. Toyota Motor Corp. is in first place and Nissan Motor Co. is in second.
Fukui said an industry shakeup is looming and the company is trying not to forget its founder's policy of always pursuing new technology and searching for new business opportunities.
"If we stop pursuing technological development, our raison d'etre as a company will be called into question," Fukui said.
"Honda used to be a one-man company of Soichiro, but is now a company where everyone exchanges ideas freely.
"But if the current mood becomes watered down, Honda will risk becoming a centralized authority and get 'big company disease.' "
Starting Friday, the date of his birth, the company will hold a one-month exhibition at its offices, with videos about Soichiro Honda's life and his involvement in F1 racing, as well as his bicycle engine and early models of the Supercub motorcycle.
