Honda Motor announced Tuesday that it is going into the jet airplane business. After flying various versions of a small business jet for about nine years, the company has decided to enter the very light jet market with its airborne equivalent of the Honda Civic.Honda has partnered with venerable light plane manufacturer Piper Aircraft to bring the innovative small jet to market. Honda will establish a new U.S. company for the venture, with production likely to start in 3-4 years, after the lengthy FAA testing and certification process is completed. Eager buyers will be able to place orders by the fall of 2006.
The 7-seat HondaJet features innovative aerodynamics for increased fuel efficiency and performance, and a new jet engine designed and developed by Honda (shown at right).
Make no mistake - Honda intends to make the same impact on the aircraft market that the Civic made on the auto market. Stay tuned!
[Source: Honda]
London 2008: Honda OSM concept roadster says, "Cheerio!"
London 2008: Lotus unveils the Evora
2010 Chevy Camaro - Official Details and Images
2010 Chevy Camaro - LIVE from the reveal
Volkswagen unveiling two-door Elise fighter in LA, new sports car
First Drive: 2008 MINI Cooper S JCW
In the Autoblog Garage:2009 Nissan GT-R
North American Exclusive First Drive: Alfa MiTo
First Drive: 2009 Kia Borrego
In The Autoblog Garage: 2008 Mercedes SLK55 AMG
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
G @ Jul 25th 2006 4:23PM
So you mean 16 year old kids are going to start modifying airplanes now?
Seriously though, I would buy this plane. More efficient than the competion.
scooter @ Jul 25th 2006 4:23PM
I'll take one in Nighthawk black!
Tim UF @ Jul 25th 2006 4:26PM
the question will be if their turbo jet engines will match the build quality and efficiency of their conventional 4strokes (from lawn mowers up through the acura brand).
David @ Jul 25th 2006 4:37PM
Tim, from their press release, the engines are made with GE, who makes much of the aircraft engines around the world already. It should change the way people travel. No more long trips cramped in a car going across the country!
Ian @ Jul 25th 2006 4:50PM
Kinda old news. I wonder if Honda will bring car-like safety to smaller personal jets. Airbags, emergency plain parachutes, etc... There is no reason anyone should ever die in smaller craft like this.
tilley @ Jul 25th 2006 4:51PM
They should call it the Honda Pilot. Oh wait, that's taken......and it carries 8!
Paul @ Jul 25th 2006 4:52PM
first to go will be the american auto industry.
next will be aerospace.
maybe next the Japanese will design a better berger and dominate the final american industry
Tim UF @ Jul 25th 2006 4:55PM
Ford used to make planes back in the day... look up the ford trimotor.
John @ Jul 25th 2006 5:04PM
In response to "Change the way people travel", Honda may intend to make this the jet equivalent of the civic; but that still probably puts it's price well, well over $2M. I don't think that is going to fit in too many people's budgets.
As for the engine reliability; jets by their very nature are far more relible than piston engines. There standard service intervals are at least 10 times greater than piston engines.
epp_b @ Jul 25th 2006 5:13PM
Hey, if anyone can do it, I have no doubt Honda can. I certainly have peace of mind when I'm in anything that's a Honda.
["They should call it the Honda Pilot."]
Clever! :P
Lithous @ Jul 25th 2006 5:22PM
"next will be aerospace."
And all the Honda driving engineers at Boeing have no one to blame but themselves. They should see it coming and retrain now. They helped finance their own layoff. Actually a few engineers will be hired by Honda and proud they work for them like most of the "New America" Americans (i.e. geishas).
"maybe next the Japanese will design a better berger and dominate the final american industry"
Yes, they could do that and call it a "berger". Smart to change the name so it isn't associated with the crap "burgers" produced by lazy Americans.
I hear you Paul. You know how it works Paul. An American conglomerate like GE helps Honda to be the best eventually and with the help of the Japanese gov't (and hell, the U.S. gov't will find a way to subsidize a factory or an engine technology like they do now for the Japanese) and viola, it happens.
I don't doubt you Paul. You understand how Japan Inc. targets and destroys with the help of dumb Americans and their gov't.
G. Snyder @ Jul 25th 2006 5:37PM
Lithous, perhaps you should move somewhere else. You are so wise and all American's are dumb. You obivously have all the answers. You certainly must have an intimate knowledge of the aerospace industry (awesome comentary on Boeing; top notch).
jon @ Jul 25th 2006 5:43PM
This really inspires confidence in and contributes to brand equity of the Honda brand.
Lithous @ Jul 25th 2006 6:06PM
"Lithous, perhaps you should move somewhere else."
Because that would be the easy way to play off the downsides of globalization instead of actually speaking out about it? Because everyone just takes it?
"You are so wise and all American's are dumb."
Not all Americans. Just the ones that really don't get the future problems we are going to have to face because they believe the brain washing.
"You obivously have all the answers."
No, just other ways to look at somethings.
"You certainly must have an intimate knowledge of the aerospace industry"
Not at all. Just commenting to a fellow commenter. What in my comment needed intimate knowlege of aerospace, out of curiousity?
"awesome comentary on Boeing; top notch"
Come on. A little sarcasm never hurt anybody. Certainly not GM and Ford. GM and Ford get "top notch" commentary about them daily. Get with it.
Brian @ Jul 25th 2006 6:07PM
FAA Rules recently cleared the way for the very light jet market to take off. Honda is not the only one with an innovative entry either.
Experts predict that these jets are going to be big business for air taxi service between general aviation airports, of which there are thousands in the US. This isn't going to impact the average person, it's going to make travel for small business people cheaper and easier.
Lithous @ Jul 25th 2006 6:09PM
That is to say, everyone just takes "it" meaning only the good side of globalization is taken in to most American's brains.
Snake @ Jul 25th 2006 6:18PM
Could everyone just do the community here a big favor and ignore Lithous? He is the most ignorant, bantering conspiracy theorist I have ever had the misfortune of encountering on a message board. To him the "japs" (disgusting slur) or other foreign companies are the only problem America faces, not the lack of innovation or the fact that most American companies and consumers FUND foreign companies out of choice because quality and effeciency are not staples of American products anymore.
To top off the whole thing, every post of Lithous' sounds like it was written by a high school drop out with little or no grasp on spelling, sentence structure or conventions. Reading his posts is like reading a tantrum from a 5 year old in text. So anyway, that's my piece and Lithous, respond however you want it won't matter, your ridiculous diatribe is garbage and means nothing to most people, it's the ridiculous nature of your comments that drives responses, not the "undeniable logic" (quoted for sarcasm).
Snake out.
Shoaib @ Jul 25th 2006 6:42PM
People, this is about the jet for gods sake, if u want to fight about economics and politics this isn't the place..
Keef @ Jul 25th 2006 7:05PM
I'm waiting to see the first riced out HondaJet. How exactly does one put a huge spoiler on an aeroplane? :-P
Sid @ Jul 25th 2006 7:23PM
Saab "Born From Jets"
Honda "Born From Civics"