Honda Says It Is the World's Largest Engine Maker, With Products From Lawn Equipment to the HF120 Jet Engine
Why It MattersThe HF120 shows a ground-vehicle engine maker extending its powertrain expertise into a certified light-jet turbofan through a joint venture, a route into business aviation that goes beyond airframes.
Honda describes itself as the world's largest engine manufacturer, a claim that rests on counting engines well beyond cars: motorcycles, generators, pumps, lawn equipment and marine outboards. Its general-purpose engines are also supplied for equipment made by other manufacturers, so the company's presence is larger than its visible branding suggests.
In aviation, GE Honda Aero Engines was established as a joint venture between Honda and General Electric. Its HF120 turbofan powers HondaJet aircraft. A turbofan works differently from a piston engine, so a jet engine is not simply a larger version of a car engine; the link between the programs is organizational and technical expertise.
In racing, the Acura ARX-06 prototype uses a purpose-built, twin-turbocharged 2.4-liter V6 combined with a hybrid system, developed by Honda Performance Development, the organization subsequently renamed Honda Racing Corporation USA. Acura identified the 2026 Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta as the final appearance of its ARX-06 GTP program before a pause. Porsche, BMW and Cadillac have pursued their own solutions in prototype racing.
On the road side, the Acura Integra Type S uses a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder producing 320 horsepower, paired with a six-speed manual transmission and a liftback body. Being the largest engine maker does not make Honda the largest carmaker, does not establish that every Honda engine is better than a competitor's, and does not guarantee the longevity of any particular automobile.
