Honda began producing the T360 mini truck at Saitama Factory(currently Saitama Factory's Wako Plant) in June 1963, with production of the Honda Sports S500 beginning at Hamamatsu the following August. With the production of these models, Honda had at last achieved its dream of becoming an automobile manufacturer.
Initially, the white bodies of these models—the welded and assembled body prior to painting—were comprised of medium- to small-sized pressed sections. Although such pressed parts were easy to make, they added to the steps required for welding and assembly.
Soichiro Honda's philosophy on manufacturing was "the fewer the steps involved in a process, the higher the quality and efficiency." In keeping with that philosophy, the company sought to manufacture quality vehicles while demonstrating the efficiency it needed to compete with well-established automakers. Therefore, Honda adopted a new "building block" system for white-body production. Designed to build car bodies with large, one-piece formed panels, the new system was the embodiment of Mr. Honda's original concept for the new N360.
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