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Honda Motor Company, Ltd. of Japan began with one man – Soichiro Honda. He started out as a mechanic in a tuning shop, but soon taught himself engineering and began making piston designs. When he couldn’t compete with formally-trained engineers, he entered school and perfected his skills. He designed a car, but World War II’s gasoline shortages made it impossible for him to drive it. To solve this dilemma, he put a small engine on his bicycle. more ...

The Toyota story begins 1929 when inventor Sakichi Toyoda sold to the British his patent for an automatic loom for 1 million yen. This money was the initial investment for what later became the Toyota Motor Company. Toyoda's son, Kiichiro began researching small gasoline powered engines in 1930 and by 1936 the first major auto is produced, the AA Sedan. Before this, however, there were some basic military applications as the Japanese government was relying on foreign trucks for their wars. more ...

The modern Nissan car company began in 1933, but it's roots go back to about 1911. The Nissan world headquarters is in Yokohama, Japan, where it is the third largest automotive producer in the home market. The Nissan car company arrived in the United States in the late 60s under the name of Datsun, and quickly established a reputation for building small economical cars which were reliable. more ...

In 1873, the company, known as Mitsubishi Shokai Company, first appeared. It emerged from the company called Tsukumo Shokai, itself having gone on its own after separating from the Tosa Clan in 1870. For many years, the company was not known as an automobile manufacturer. Their image began to change when they began development of the Model–A passenger car in 1917. The 3-Diamond trademark was registered three years earlier in 1914. more ...