2026-10-17
100 Products That Changed the World · #24: Honda Super Cub
Born in Tokyo in 1958, with over 110 million units built — surpassing the Ford Model T, the Volkswagen Beetle, and the Toyota Corolla to become the most-produced motor vehicle in human history. Engineered around a legendary product brief ('A soba noodle delivery boy must be able to ride it one-handed while balancing a tray of bowls, and a woman in a skirt must be able to step through with dignity'), Soichiro Honda and Takeo Fujisawa invented the automatic centrifugal clutch, the step-through frame, and the plastic leg shield — turning a biker's toy into Asia's everyday legs. Ranked #24 among the 100 products that changed the world, with an overall score of 91.65 (displayed as 92) — durability 97, scale 95, experience 92, business 90, originality 88, impact 88.
