History of Honda Outboard Motors

Honda was among the first manufacturers to offer 4-stroke outboards in America, and the first to offer a full line of lightweight 4-stroke outboards. More than 40 years later, Honda outboards still set the standard for fuel efficiency, performance and ease of operation. We aim to create cutting edge outboards, while staying true to the core Honda attributes of durability, quiet operation, quality, and reliability.

Honda continually perfects our marine engine line by incorporating technologies from our highly advanced automotive and racing heritage. In addition, many Honda Marine outboards also include exclusive technological features found in the company's most popular automobile engines including the Honda Ridgeline, Pilot, Odyssey, Accord, CR-V, and Element.

Honda Marine also sets the industry standard for customer satisfaction. We are proud to have received the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) Award six years in a row.

History
1964 First Honda four-stroke outboard introduced.

1967 First Honda outboard introduced in the U.S.

1985 Honda has the first full line of four-strokes for customers to choose from.

1990 Our BF45 wins the IMTEC Innovation Award.

1994 Our BF90 prototype wins the IMTEC Innovation Award.

1995 The BF90 wins Popular Mechanics’ “Design and Engineering Award.”

1998 Honda Marine is the only marine engine manufacturer offering over 15 models of four-strokes from which to choose.

2001 The world’s first 225 HP four-stroke is introduced. VTEC® Technology is also introduced in a marine engine.

2002 Hundreds of BF225s are put into service for the U.S.Coast Guard’s Homeland Security Initiative.

2004 Our BF150 is introduced. Honda Marine also received the NMMA’s Customer Service Award.

2005 For the second consecutive year, Honda wins the NMMA’s Customer Service Award and is ranked highest in customer satisfaction with four-stroke engines in a tie by J.D. Power and Associates. Every model in our lineup continues to meet or exceed Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards and carries a California Air Resources Board (CARB) 2008 3-star rating.

2006 The all new BF90 and BF75 are introduced with Multi-Port Electronic Fuel Injection and are the lightest four-strokes in their class. For the second time, Honda receives a customer satisfaction award for four-stroke outboards from J.D. Power and Associates and the CSI Industry Award from the NMMA.

2007 Honda ranks highest in customer satisfaction for four-stroke outboards according to J.D. Power and Associates.

2008 The redesigned BF40 and BF50 EFI are introduced and are, by far, the best in their class. For the fifth consecutive year, Honda Marine wins the CSI Award for customer satisfaction.

2009 The best-in-class midrange BF60 and BFP60 Power Thrust EFI models are introduced. Honda Marine wins a top customer satisfaction award from J.D. Power and Associates*and, for the sixth consecutive year, a CSI Award for customer satisfaction.

* “Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Four-Stroke Outboards.” Honda received the highest numerical score among four-stroke engines in the proprietary J.D. Power and Associates 2009 Marine Engine Competitive Information StudySM. Study based on 7,093 total responses, measuring 4 EFI four-stroke brands and measures opinions of consumers who purchased a boat January 2007-May 2008. Proprietary study results are based on experiences and perceptions of owners surveyed September-November 2008.

Headquartered in Alpharetta, Georgia, Honda Marine distributes a full line of four-stroke marine engines ranging from 2 to 225 horsepower.

This article is from internet information.

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