Honda hits 100 million-unit automobile production milestone – T360 pick-up the first to roll off the line

One hundred million units. That is how many automobiles (discounting motorcycles and power products) Honda has produced since it first began production back in 1963 at its Saitama Factory in Japan. However, contrary to what you may think, the first Honda to roll off the line at the time wasn’t a car, but a mini-truck called the T360, which went on sale in Japan in August 1963.

The ancestor to the modern day Ridgeline was powered by a modest 356 cc four-cylinder petrol engine and was capable of a top speed of 100 km/h. The decision to create the small pick-up was primarily due to kei regulations, which allowed the T360 to be in a lower tax bracket. Another interesting bit of trivia – people who bought any of the 108,920 T360s made could only purchase the “May Blue” colour.

Four months after the T360, assembly of the S500 roadster began at the company’s Hamamatsu Factory before Honda constructed its first mass-production facility – Sayama Factory – in 1964. The new facility began started with the S600, the upgraded version of the two-seat roadster, followed by the S800 in 1966.

The following year, Honda began producing the N360, Honda’s first mini-vehicle model, which came with a 354 cc two-cylinder engine that allowed it to hit 105 km/h. The larger-engined N600 was developed for export markets, with Honda deciding to offer their first automobile for the North American market. Hit up Honda USA’s dedicated webpage here, and you’ll find an entire video series that focuses on restoring N600-1000001.

In 1969, production of the N600 and the T360’s replacement – the TN360 – began in Taiwan after a technical collaboration agreement was signed with a local company, which became Honda’s first automobile manufacturing site outside of Japan. This expansion soon made its way to Malaysia, with the N360 being the first model made locally. Since then Honda Malaysia has progressed to produce a wider range of models, including plenty of famous names.

The first of many famous Honda nameplates – the Civic – was first released in 1972, and three years after, the model was being produced in Indonesia. By 1978, cumulative worldwide production of Honda automobiles reached five million units.

After the Civic came the Accord in 1976, which became the first passenger car produced in the US by a Japanese automaker in Ohio in 1982. A year after that, the company hit the 10-million unit landmark, followed by 20 million units in 1990. Honda also became the first Japanese automobile manufacturer to release a dedicated luxury brand, Acura, in 1986.

Honda also continued to expand its automobile production operations to different regions of the world including Asia, Europe, South America and China. In some of these markets, unique models were created to cater to the unique demands of the area.

Through these efforts, the figures continued to climb, hitting the 30 million mark in 1995, 40 million in 1999 and 50 million in 2003. With 34 automobile production operations in 18 countries and territories, Honda managed to hit the 100 million-unit milestone in September this year, 53 years after it first began producing automobiles and 68 years after the company was first founded.

The achievement is made even more impressive by the fact that Soichiro Honda’s company started out making motorcycles. The D-Type, the first Honda to go by the name “Dream” in 1949, was its first introduction that utilised a Honda frame and engine. Plays well into the slogan – “The Power of Dreams,” don’t you think?

Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.