Honda’s cumulative global production of engine/motor-powered motorcycles has reached an incredible 500 million units, 76 years after the company began mass production of motorcycles in 1949 with the Dream D-Type.
More than 20% of that 500 million has been due to just one model line: the iconic Super Cub, launched in 1958.
In 1956, Honda founder and president Soichiro Honda and managing director Takeo Fujisawa traveled to Europe in search of hints to what their next major product should be. Instead, what they discovered were major differences in each country’s conditions, and how small bikes were used.
They began to form ideas of the next major motorcycle model, which would be neither strictly a moped or scooter as they were known, but could fulfil those roles.
As guidelines for new development, the two men instructed their staff to “create things that can fit in the hand” and “create things that are easy to operate”. The new motorcycle has to have: a high-powered 4-stroke engine, a chassis and bodywork design of a size and shape that women could easily handle and ride, a new gearshift system that didn’t require a clutch, and an "advanced design that is also friendly, fresh and timeless".
Honda's journey to 500 million motorcycles
Honda began mass-production of motorcycles at its first overseas production facility in Belgium in 1963, and since then, has expanded production globally in accordance with its stated principle of “producing locally where there is demand.”
Honda achieved its overall 100 million-unit milestone in 1997, its 200 million-unit milestone in 2008, and its 300 million-unit milestone in 2014.
In 2018, Honda’s annual production exceeded 20 million units for the first time in its history, and cumulative global production reached 400 million units in 2019. Although the annual production of motorcycles temporarily declined due to COVID-19 in 2020, demand has steadily recovered worldwide to pre-pandemic levels since then.
In addition to internal combustion engine (ICE) models, Honda positioned year 2024 as its “first year of global expansion” for electric powered two-wheelers and has started launching new models.