U.S. R&D Operations
Honda has been conducting research and development in America for 50 years, beginning with market research in California in 1975. Today, Honda operates 23 R&D facilities in the U.S. that conduct the research, design and development of new technologies and products in the U.S., including Honda and Acura automobiles, Honda power equipment, Honda powersports products, and HondaJet.
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Operation |
Location |
Began |
|---|---|---|
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North American Auto Development Center (ADC) |
Raymond, Ohio / Torrance, CA |
1985 |
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Responsibilities: Product development, automobile and safety research, market research, design & testing. The Ohio Campus of the Honda North American Auto Development Center (ADC), part of Honda Development & Manufacturing of America (HDMA), is responsible for complete product development including engineering and testing of Honda vehicles such as the current Honda Pilot, Passport, Odyssey and Ridgeline, and the Acura MDX, and MDX Type S. The Honda Crash Safety Research Facility within ADC houses one of the world's most sophisticated high-resolution crash test barrier blocks, the world's first pitching crash test simulator, a scale wind tunnel, along with other advanced safety research and testing labs. |
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Product Strategy |
Torrance, CA / Raymond, Ohio |
1975 |
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Responsibilities: User, market and product strategy for the next generation of Honda and Acura customers. Product Strategy is responsible for user, market and product strategy for the next generation of Honda and Acura automobiles along with auto accessories, space development, advanced power unit and new business proposals, such as Motocompacto and Base Station. |
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Auto Design |
Torrance, California |
1975 / 2006 |
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Responsibilities:Product styling for the Honda and Acura North American lineup. The Torrance campus of the Honda North American Auto Development Center (ADC) leads styling for the Acura brand, including the current Acura MDX and MDX Type S, as well as vehicle styling for Honda light trucks including the current Honda Passport, Pilot, Odyssey and Ridgeline. In addition, Auto Design is responsible for the styling of the HondaJet interior as well as Powersports products (see more on page 5.2 for HondaJet and Powersports development details). |
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Honda Automotive Laboratories of Ohio (HALO) |
East Liberty, Ohio |
2022 |
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Responsibilities: Product development, automobile and safety research & testing. The North American Auto Development Center (ADC), part of Honda Development & Manufacturing of America (HDMA), is responsible for complete product development including engineering and testing of Honda vehicles such as the current Honda Pilot, Passport, Odyssey and Ridgeline, and the Acura TLX, TLX Type S, RDX, MDX, and MDX Type S. The Automotive Safety Research Facility within ADC houses one of the world’s most sophisticated high-resolution crash test barrier blocks, the world’s first pitching crash test simulator, a scale wind tunnel, along with other advanced safety research and testing labs. |
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Honda Automotive Laboratories of Ohio (HALO) |
East Liberty, Ohio |
2020 |
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Responsibilities: Development of new multi-functional antenna technologies in the areas of safety, convenience, and entertainment. |
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Honda Proving Center of California |
Cantil, California |
1990 |
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Responsibilities: Testing ground for future Honda and Acura products, including automobiles, motorcycles, side-by-sides and ATVs. |
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Denver Test Lab |
Denver, Colorado |
1980 |
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Responsibilities: High-altitude emissions testing and catalyst aging. |
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Power Equipment, Powersports & Marine R&D
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Operation |
Location |
Began |
|---|---|---|
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PS&P Development - OH |
Raymond, Ohio |
1985 |
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Responsibilities: Research, design and development of all-terrain vehicle (ATV) and side-by-side vehicles. The PS&P Development office, housed within the Honda North American Auto Development Center (ADC) in Ohio is responsible for the design, development and market testing of Honda all-terrain vehicles and side-by-side products, including the Honda Talon and Pioneer series models. |
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Honda of North Carolina Mfg. |
Swepsonville, North Carolina |
1993 |
| Responsibilities: All-terrain vehicle (ATV) and side-by-side research and development. | ||
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PS&P Development - NC |
Haw River, North Carolina |
1993 |
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Responsibilities: Research and development of power equipment products. The PS&P Development office in North Carolina is responsible for the design, development and market testing of various Honda power equipment products, including products built at Honda North Carolina Manufacturing, which is located adjacent to the development office. |
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PS&P Development - FL |
Grant-Valkaria, Florida |
2003 |
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Responsibilities: Marine product research, development and testing. The PS&P Development office in Florida is dedicated to Honda marine business, strategically located on the water in Grant-Valkaria, Florida, in the heart of the U.S. marine industry. Associates at the 11,000 square foot facility are responsible for market research, product development and testing of Honda marine products. Most of the Honda outboard engines sold in the U.S. have been tested here. |
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Honda Racing Corporation (HRC-US)
| Operation | Location | Began | ||||||||||||||
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| Headquarters | Santa Clarita, California | 1993 | ||||||||||||||
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Responsibilities: The U.S. headquarters of Honda Racing Corporation (HRC-US) in Santa Clarita facility designs and develops racing engines, and chassis and performance parts as well as providing technical and race support to Honda-powered race teams. HRC has also announced plans to produce authentic performance parts for customer use for street, track and off-road applications. HRC-US engineers also embraced the role of producing Shogo, an electric ride-on vehicle created by Honda to bring comfort and joy to hospitalized children and their families at children's hospitals across the U.S. |
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| Indianapolis Development Facility | Indianapolis, Indiana | 2013 | ||||||||||||||
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Responsibilities: The Indianapolis Development Facility is home to the HRC-US Indiana Tech Center, providing race preparations support, engineering support and racing simulations for IndyCar race teams. |
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Aviation R&D
| Operation | Location | Began | ||||||||||||||
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| Honda Aircraft Company, LLC | Greensboro, North Carolina | 2006 | ||||||||||||||
| Responsibilities: The Greensboro, North Carolina world headquarters for the Honda Aircraft Company is also the production home of the HondaJet Elite II, and where state-of-the-art R&D of the HondaJet series of jets was conducted and where R&D activities for the new light jet, HondaJet Echelon are being undertaken. | ||||||||||||||||
| Honda Aero, Inc. | Burlington, North Carolina | 2004 | ||||||||||||||
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Responsibilities: The Honda Aero facility, located adjacent to the Burlington-Alamance County regional airport, is the global production home of the HF120 light-jet engine that powers the HondaJet series and is the official Maintenance Repair and Overhaul facility for the HF120. Honda Aero features a state-of-the-art test cell, repair and overhaul along with parts warehousing. |
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| Energy Research | Torrance, California | 2022 | ||||||||||||||
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Responsibilities: Market research and deployment of Honda carbon neutral-technologies. Honda Energy Research is responsible for the deployment and scaling of carbon-neutral technologies in the North American market, with a particular focus on fuel cell and hydrogen technologies. |
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| Space Development Unit | Torrance, California | 2024 | ||||||||||||||
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Responsibilities: Research and business development for potential space applications of Honda technologies. The Space Development Unit explores potential applications of Honda technologies in the U.S. space industry, with a focus on energy systems and robotics. The team works with external partners, including space agencies, research institutions and commercial space companies, while coordinating with Honda engineering organizations mainly in the U.S. to evaluate future opportunities in lunar surface, orbital and related space activities. |
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Honda Research Institute USA, Inc.
Established in 2003, Honda Research Institute is North America's advanced research center that provides innovative solutions to complex problems with direct applications to the company's current and future technology road map
| Operation | Location | Began | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silicon Valley Research Office | San Jose, California | 2003 | |||||||||||||
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Responsibilities: Advanced technology research. The team of scientists and engineers at Honda Research Institute (HRI) create technologies, often generated through a scientific process, and apply them to real situations, addressing more than just abstract principles. HRI follows an open innovation model that establishes partnerships and alliances with academia and the private sector. As one example, HRI has developed a breakthrough method for growing atomically thin nanoribbons capable of enabling unbreakable secure communication of sensitive information. |
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Ohio Research Office |
Columbus, Ohio | 2018 | |||||||||||||
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Responsibilities: Advanced research into mobility-related human-computer interaction and software-defined mobility, energy and battery technologies, and materials for electronic and quantum applications. Honda Research Institute USA, Inc. (HRI-US) has established multiple research labs in Columbus, Ohio on the OSU SciTech Campus of The Ohio State University (OSU). 99P Labs: In 2018, Honda and OSU established 99P Labs on the SciTech Campus, to conduct collaborative research and data-driven innovation toward creating a sustainable mobility future. 99P Labs advances innovation by combining scientific research with student innovation projects across multiple disciplines, leveraging advanced methodologies, strategic insights, and collaborative frameworks. Advanced Materials Science Lab: In 2025, HRI-US established the Advanced Materials Science Lab on the SciTech Campus, to extend existing areas of research including quantum technologies, other nano technologies, hydrogen fuel cells, carbon capture technologies, next-generation EV batteries and battery recycling. |
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San Luis Obispo County Facilities |
San Luis Obispo, California | 2019 | |||||||||||||
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Responsibilities: Aerospace engineering, flight control systems engineering, system integration, integrated testing, design, fabrication, and assembly. HRI-US – San Luis Obispo County engages in fundamental technology research for many of the technologies that will power the Honda electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. |
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Honda Innovations Silicon Valley
Honda Innovations Silicon Valley in Mountain View, California, was established in 2011 and, in April 2023, became part of Honda Innovations Co., Ltd. in Japan, which serves as the global head office function for the company's open innovation activities. Honda Innovations Silicon Valley drives strategic investment and open innovation with the goal of supporting the transformation of all areas of Honda. Honda Xcelerator Ventures, the outward-facing program of Honda Innovations, fosters collaboration and partnerships to drive technological and business innovation. Through the Honda Xcelerator Ventures program, Honda partners with innovators, including startups across all funding stages as well as global brands
| Operation | Location | Began | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Honda Innovations Office |
Mountain View, California | 2011 | ||||||||||||||
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Responsibilities: Focus areas include Connected Vehicle/Internet of Things (IoT) services, Human Machine Interface, Machine Intelligence/Robotics, Connected Services, Personal Mobility, Sharing Economy, and Industrial Innovation. |
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Other
| Operation | Location | Began | ||||||||||||||
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| Honda Partner Facility: Battery Cell R&D Center | Columbus, Ohio | 2026 | ||||||||||||||
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Responsibilities: Advanced research of next generation batteries and manufacturing. Established in partnership with the Ohio State University Institute for Materials and Manufacturing Research (IMR) to foster collaboration between academia and industry, focus areas include development of next-generation battery cell materials and manufacturing, including solid-state batteries. |
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