How critical do you believe it is for Honda still to make engines for products ranging from lawnmowers to cars?
That’s very important. Technology-wise, power-product engines, motorbike engines and car engines are not so different. They have pistons, cam shafts and valves. We are one of the largest motorcycle manufacturers, and motorization in developing countries starts with motorcycles. The investment needed to build a plant to produce motorcycles is one-tenth or one-twentieth of the investment needed for producing automobiles. With that small investment, we can learn almost everything about a country. We can know a supplier’s network, or the parts industry, or society. And we can establish a brand image with one-tenth or one-twentieth the investment. If we can make money with the motorcycle business, we can put that money into constructing a car plant, and we can utilize the people in motorbike production in car production and marketing. Traditionally, we build small and grow big, even in the car business. But before that, at a small scale, we can have everything ready to go for the car busine
