In which U.S. city did American Honda open in 1959?

American Honda opened in Los Angeles in 1959.

American Honda Motor Co., Inc., Honda’s first overseas subsidiary, opened on June 11, 1959. Its original headquarters stood at 4077 West Pico Boulevard in Los Angeles, California. The company began with a capital investment of $250,000 and just three employees, making the operation a modest but strategically important foothold in the United States.

Honda’s decision to establish its own subsidiary was unusual at the time. Many foreign automakers relied on independent American distributors, while Honda wanted direct control over sales, service, and marketing. The subsidiary initially concentrated on motorcycles rather than cars, because Honda did not begin selling cars in the United States until later.

In its first full year, 1960, American Honda sold fewer than 2,000 motorcycles through three product lines: the Dream, Benly, and Honda 50, later associated with the Super Cub family. The office moved to Gardena in 1963 and eventually to Torrance, but the company’s American story began in Los Angeles.