Honda plans to establish a research and development (R&D) Innovation Lab in Tokyo in a bid to further strengthen its intelligent technologies R&D capabilities. Honda subsidiary Honda R&D Co. Ltd plans to set up the new laboratory by September. According to the automaker, it is seeking to collaborate with external experts and other research institutes at the new laboratory.
Significance: The new R&D facility will be located at Akasaka, Minato-ku, in Tokyo. Honda intends to further expand its intelligent technologies research and its application in the area of mobility through the new laboratory. Prior to this, Honda R&D Co. Ltd established the Honda Research Institute (HRI) in 2003 in the United States to develop further its intelligent research such as brain research and visual/aural recognition. HRI has been working to establish a global network of researchers in the areas of advanced sciences through HRI operations in Germany, the US, and Japan. With the latest R&D laboratory, Honda is looking to further expand its network of existing operations in these countries. Besides these initiatives, Honda is also directing its focus towards developing new environmentally friendly vehicles. In February, Honda unveiled its future strategy, and it expects alternative-powertrain vehicles to account for two-thirds of global sales by 2030.
