Takeo Fujisawa, co-founder of Honda Motor Co Ltd, will be inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame at The Fillmore Detroit on 20 July 2023.
Fujisawa will be joining Honda founder Soichiro Honda, who was inducted in 1989 as the first Japanese automotive executive honored by the Automotive Hall of Fame located in Dearborn, Michigan.
Fujisawa was instrumental in expanding Honda's dealer network in the U.S.A Fujisawa originally aspired to become a teacher, but instead worked as a salesman for a steel products company and then for a lumber company when he met Soichiro Honda in August 1949, about one year after the founding of Honda Motor Co., a small local venture in Hamamatsu, Japan.
The two men are described as having different personalities and skill sets, but hit it off almost immediately and began deep discussions about their approach to business and dreams for the future.
Quickly developing a trusting relationship, they established a shared vision for the future of the company with Fujisawa joining Honda Motor in October 1949. As a president of the company, Honda retained responsibility for product design and technology development and manufacturing operations. Fujisawa backed him up as his right hand with responsibility for the business side of the company, including sales, finance and marketing. Both Honda and Fujisawa would eventually retire together in March 1973.
Fujisawa was instrumental in kicking off Honda's motorcycle sales in the U.S.A, forging relationships with many smaller dealers, in order to kick off its dealership network. The business eventually expanded across the west coast of the U.S.A and became the best-selling motorcycle brand in America.
Find out more about the Automotive Hall of Fame here.
Fujisawa will be joining Honda founder Soichiro Honda, who was inducted in 1989 as the first Japanese automotive executive honored by the Automotive Hall of Fame located in Dearborn, Michigan.
The two men are described as having different personalities and skill sets, but hit it off almost immediately and began deep discussions about their approach to business and dreams for the future.
Quickly developing a trusting relationship, they established a shared vision for the future of the company with Fujisawa joining Honda Motor in October 1949. As a president of the company, Honda retained responsibility for product design and technology development and manufacturing operations. Fujisawa backed him up as his right hand with responsibility for the business side of the company, including sales, finance and marketing. Both Honda and Fujisawa would eventually retire together in March 1973.
Fujisawa was instrumental in kicking off Honda's motorcycle sales in the U.S.A, forging relationships with many smaller dealers, in order to kick off its dealership network. The business eventually expanded across the west coast of the U.S.A and became the best-selling motorcycle brand in America.
Find out more about the Automotive Hall of Fame here.
