In 1973, the then-Mariwasa-Honda started building motorcycles in the Philippines. Its operations began with a manufacturing rate of 4,700 units per year.
It started production of the TM110 in 1976, followed by the C70 and XL125 in 1977. In case you’re familiar with those nameplates, then you might be surprised to know that even some of the most iconic Hondas were also manufactured here.
Over the next couple of decades, Honda Philippines (HPI)—which was officially established in 1983—continued to produce various models including the C70DD Econopower in ’84, PF50 in ’89, C100 in ’96, and finally, the Wave 110 in the year 2000. Among those models, the Wave remains the last nameplate standing.
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HPI marked its 30th anniversary in 2003, and this was quickly followed by launches of the TMX125 and the limited-edition XRM110. In the year that followed, HPI rolled out the Wave 125S, XRM110, and XR200. In the next year after that—on February 2005—HPI breached a milestone having rolled out the one-millionth motorcycle in the Philippines.
Production ramped up further from then, as HPI built its second million by 2008, third by 2011, fourth by 2013—coincidentally its 40th year—and fifth by 2016. Throughout that decade, HPI released what would be some of its most important models like the Beat, XRM 125, CB110, Scoopy, and TMX Supremo.
Later on in 2018, HPI released the Click 125i and Click 150i, the models that would help the brand reach the top spot in the AT scooter segment. Just a year after, Honda’s local production breached the six-million mark, en route to rolling out its seven-millionth bike in 2022.
This year, HPI is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a lineup loaded with the likes of the ADV 160, PCX 160, Dio, CB150X, and AirBlade 160. These small-displacement models are joined by several big bikes, some of which are pretty fresh in our market like the Rebel 1100, CL500, and XL750 Transalp.
“HPI has reached these milestones with the help of everyone involved in the company and, more importantly, with the unwavering support of the Filipino public,” said HPI president Sayaka Arai. “It is an honor for us to provide Filipinos with mobility, comfort, and even more job opportunities through our motorcycles. Rest assured that we will aim to continue improving our customers’ daily lives by enabling them to experience Honda’s innovations found in our every product and service that exceed their expectations.”
What has been your fondest memory of Honda over the past five decades? Share your stories in the comments.
