I need you to read a statistic so mind-blowing, I had to read it a few times just to be sure that my eyes weren't playing tricks on me. Honda, the biggest manufacturer in the motorcycle and scooter space, has sold half a billion motorcycles since it began production in 1949. 500 million motorcycles have been sold in the last 76 years.
On average, that equates to a whopping 6,578,947 motorcycles each and every year since 1949. That's throughout the aftermath of World War II and Japan's reconstruction. That's through the turbulent times and global recessions across the years. And that's through waxing and waning public want for motorcycles across its entire global footprint.
Honda, it seems, is an unstoppable motorcycle-making machine. A behemoth straight out of Toho, ready to strike fear in the hearts and minds of those other motorcycle manufacturers that believe they're hot stuff. They aren't, and that half-a-billion figure is proof.
What's funny about the 500 million figure is how long it took to get Honda its first 100 million, but how quickly it crossed 500 million after that. According to the company, it took Honda until 1997 to hit that 100 mil mark. 200 million was crossed in 2007. 300 million in 2014. 400 million in 2019. And now, just six years later, 500 million.
That sort of growth chart feels exponential, though I'm sure some math nerd will have my butt in the comments below. And that growth isn't likely to change any time soon, as Honda states that it's selling around 20 million motorcycles a year. So what's another five years to hit 600 million?
"For Honda, motorcycle business is our founder's business, and will continue to be the company's core business," says Toshihiro Mibe, Honda Motor Co., Ltd.'s President, CEO, and Representative Director, adding, "In the motorcycle business, we have built the trust of our customers through our many products and services, which has enabled us to achieve a cumulative production volume of 500 million units. I would like to thank our customers and all stakeholders who were involved in achieving this milestone, from development to production, sales and service. Honda will continue to take on the challenge of expanding the joy of our customers around the world."
As far as what's next, the company is looking to become the most dominant force in electric motorcycles in the near future, and has that wild electric turbocharged V3 motorcycle coming soon, too. So yeah, Honda ain't slowing down for anything. It's full on braaaaaap.
