| 1960 |
July: |
Honda R&D Co.,
Ltd. established. |
| |
|
(R&D division separated
from Honda Motor Co., Ltd.) |
|
| 1961 |
Dec.: |
Moves to current
Wako R&D Center. |
|
| 1963 |
Oct.: |
Compact sports
car S500 introduced. (1) |
|
| 1965 |
Jan.: |
Portable generator
E-300 introduced. |
|
| 1967 |
Mar.: |
FF type mini passenger
car N360 introduced. |
|
| 1969 |
Aug.: |
Dream CB750 with
4-cylinder multi engine introduced. (2) |
|
| 1970 |
Feb.: |
3-wheeled leisure
vehicle ATC90 introduced. |
| |
Mar.: |
Hondamatic, HondaÁs
original automatic transmission, introduced. |
|
| 1972 |
July: |
Basic passenger
car, the Civic, introduced. (3) |
| |
Dec.: |
CVCC engine complies
with 1975 Clean Air Act. (4) |
|
| 1973 |
Oct.: |
Asaka R&D Center
established. |
|
| 1976 |
Feb.: |
Family use motorcycle
Road Pal NC50 introduced. |
| |
May: |
Multipurpose hatchback,
the Accord, introduced.
Honda power steering introduced. |
|
| 1977 |
Jun.: |
Epoch-making power
engines G150 and G200 |
| |
July: |
TN Acty introduced. |
|
| 1978 |
Nov.: |
Prelude introduced. |
|
| 1979 |
Apr.: |
Tochigi Proving
Grounds established. |
| |
May: |
Asaka Higashi R&D
Center established. |
|
| 1980 |
Aug.: |
Ballade introduced. |
| |
Sept.: |
Innovative new
50cc Tact scooter introduced. (5) |
|
| 1981 |
Nov.: |
City introduced.
(6) |
|
| 1982 |
Feb.: |
VF750 series sports
car with V-type engine introduced. |
| |
Apr.: |
Tochigi Labs, Wako
R&D Center established. |
|
| 1983 |
Jan.: |
OHV power engines
GX110, GX140 introduced. |
| |
Mar.: |
Lawn tractor HT3810
introduced. (7) |
|
| 1984 |
May: |
Tochigi Center
established(renamed from Tochigi Labs). |
| |
Sept.: |
Honda R&D North
America Inc. established. |
|
| 1985 |
Jun.: |
New Accord and
Vigor series introduced. |
| |
July: |
World's first 4-wheel
drive ATV, the TRX350 4WD introduced. |
| |
Sept.: |
Today introduced. |
| |
Nov.: |
Luxury passenger
vehicle Legend introduced.
Tilling tractor Mighty 11 introduced. |
|
| 1986 |
Apr.: |
Tochigi R&D Center
established (Renamed from Tochigi Center).
Wako Research Center established. |
| |
Oct.: |
4-wheel steering
system (4WS) introduced. |
|
| 1987 |
Jan.: |
Air bag system
introduced. |
| |
Jun.: |
GL1500 with new
horizontal opposed 6-cylinder engine introduced.
(8) |
| |
Sept.: |
CRX introduced. |
|
| 1988 |
Apr.: |
Asaka Kita R&D
Center established.
Honda R&D Europe (Deutschland) GmbH established.
Concerto, co-developed with ARG, introduced. |
| |
Nov.: |
Diesel tractor
TX18/20 introduced. |
|
| 1989 |
Feb.: |
NSX introduced
at Chicago Motor Show. (9) |
| |
Apr.: |
Integra with world's
first variable valve timing and lift control
mechanism engine, introduced. |
| |
Sept.: |
Ascot, Accord Inspire
introduced. |
|
| 1991 |
Jan.: |
Wako Basic Technology
Research Center established. (Renamed from
Wako R&D Center). |
| |
July: |
V-TEC engine introduced. |
| |
Aug.: |
Riding simulator
for motorcycles introduced. |
|
| 1992 |
Apr.: |
NR750 with oval
piston engine introduced. |
| |
July: |
Honda R&D Taiyo
Co., Ltd. established. |
| |
Dec.: |
Honda R&D Europe
(U.K). Ltd. established. |
|
| 1993 |
Jun.: |
Real time 4-wheel
drive dual pump system introduced. |
| |
Sept.: |
Mini Komame F110
introduced. |
|
| 1994 |
Feb.: |
Electric scooter
introduced. |
| |
Oct.: |
Odyssey introduced.
(10) |
| |
Dec.: |
Racoon introduced. |
|
| 1995 |
July.: |
3-stage VTEC engined
introduced.
Honda Multimatic introduced. |
| |
Aug.: |
Honda ASV 1-3 safety
vehicles introduced.
Motorcycle front and rear wheel ABC, M.A.-C.
ABS and T.R.C. ABS introduced.
Ultra Low Emission (ULEV) vehicle introduced. |
|
| 1996 |
May: |
StepWGN introduced.
Hokkaido Takasu Proving Center established.
Left/right drive distribution system introduced.
Motorcycle "tough up tube" introduced.
AR combustion engine introduced. |
| |
Dec.: |
Walking humanoid
robot prototype introduced.
New electric automobile Honda EV introduced. |
|
| 1997 |
Jan.: |
CRM250AR with AR
combustion engine introduced. (11) |
| |
Aug.: |
Honda Navigation
System introduced. |
| |
Oct.: |
ZLEV (zero emission
vehicle) iechnology introduced. |
|
| 1998 |
Jun.: |
Natural gas vehicle
Civic GX introduced.
Outboard engine comprehensive tests completed
in Hosoecho, Shizuoka Prefecture. |
| |
Aug.: |
New collision safety
technology G Control ntroduced. |
|
| 1999 |
Jan.: |
Civic GX wins Engine
Environmental Award.
Honda Giorno Clea series introduced. |
| |
Sept.: |
Hybrid automobile Insight introduced. |
|
| 2000 |
Mar.: |
World's first indoor
car-to-car omnidirectional crash test facility
completed. |
| |
Apr.: |
Honda R&D Europe S.r.l.(italia) established. |
| |
Oct.: |
New-generation
DOHC i-VTEC engine announced. |
| |
Nov.: |
ASIMO robot introduced.
(12) |
|
| 2001 |
Apr.: |
4-wheel driving
simulator introduced. |
| |
Jun.: |
Fit new small car
intoroduced. |
| |
Dec.: |
Civic Hybrid introduced. |
|
| 2002 |
Jan.: |
Honda Motorcycle
R&D China Co., Ltd. established. |
| |
Apr.: |
Next-generation
thin-membrance solar cell developed. |
| |
July.: |
New low-price
scooter Today introduced. |
| |
Dec.: |
Fuel cell vehicle
FCX delivered in Japan and U.S. on the same
day. (13) |
|
| 2003 |
Jan.: |
Honda Research
Institute Japan Co., Ltd. established.
Honda Reaearch Institute USA, Inc. established.
Honda Research Institute Europe GmbH established. |
| |
Jun.: |
Honda R&D India
Pvt. Ltd. established. |
| |
Dec.: |
Flight tests of
Honda experimental business
jet airplane begin.(14) |
|
| 2004 |
Apr.: |
Flexible all-wheel
drive control system introduced.(15) |
| |
July.: |
Wako Nishi R&D
Center established. |
|
| 2005 |
Apr.: |
Air Wave introduced.
The iGX440, a next-generation, general-purpose engine using electronic-control technology introduced. |
| |
Sept.: |
World's first airbag system for mass-produced motorcycles is developed. |
| |
Nov.: |
World's first hybrid snowblower with switchable snow-removal mode using electronic controls, The HSM1590 introduced.(16) |
| |
Dec.: |
Honda R&D Asia Pacific Co., Ltd. established. |
|
| 2006 |
Feb.: |
ZEST introduced. |
| |
Sept.: |
Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth and Honda develop technology together to manufacture ethanol from cellulose biomass.
Development of new generation diesel engine using newly developed NOx catalyst. |
|
| 2007 |
Feb.: |
Crossroad introduced. |
| |
Sept.: |
The F530 and The F730, two general-purpose control assemblies with clutches, introduced. |
| |
Sept.: |
The HFT, an automatic transmission for motorcycles,developed.(17) |
|
