Honda in worldwide sales boom

UPDATE Here is the Forward from the book The Honda Myth: The Genius and His Wake. The names of the big Japanese consumer-products companies–Sony, Toshiba, Toyota and the like–are well known to virtually all Americans. But the men who built these world-class companies, and the stories behind how they did it, remain largely obscure in the world’s largest consumer nation. Now Masaaki Sato, Japan’s foremost automotive journalist, lifts the obscurity from the men who founded Honda Motor Co. during Japan’s lean years in the wake of World War II.

By 1954, when the company went public, Honda was the dominant motorcycle manufacturer in Japan. But the company’s sales soon plunged, partly due to quality problems. Mr. Honda responded by setting plans to enter the world’s most prestigious and demanding motorcycle race: England’s Isle of Man TT.

The goal rallied employees to improve quality, even though it took five years before Honda actually entered the race. The company’s motorcycles placed sixth, but just two years after that Honda shocked the motorcycle world by sweeping the top five positions. Thus began a pattern: racing would inspire product advancements and generate publicity, both of which propelled Honda’s increasing sales success.

12/19/06 Honda Motor Co. said Tuesday it expects worldwide sales to rise 5 percent to an all-time high of 3.55 million vehicles this year amid booming overseas demand partially brought on by its worldwide F1 involvement.