Product Profile: Honda

 

INDUSTRY

transportation

Category

automobiles

products Profiled

cars, minivans, SUVs, crossovers, and trucks made by Honda and sold under the Honda and Acura brands

 

H-Score

 

52

ranked 14th of 18 within the transportation industry

ranked 34th of 76 overall

 

product descriptions

 

Honda makes gasoline or electrically powered cars, minivans, SUVs, crossovers, and trucks for personal transportation purposes. In 2022, Honda's sales were led by SUVs (58%), followed by cars (33%), minivans (5%), and lastly, trucks (4%).(1)

 

product use

 

Automobiles are used for personal transportation: commuting to and from work, seeing family and friends, driving to purchase food or groceries, shopping, and other errands or recreational uses. People use automobiles for long-distance trips as well as to get to nearby destinations. Building H’s consumer research found that 50% of US residents use their vehicles or a ride-sharing service to travel short distances of one-half mile to one mile.(2)

 

who’s affected

 

Honda sells vehicles to the general public. Its users are broadly representative of the population with three exceptions: based on our consumer survey data, Honda sells slightly more to males and Honda owners tend to skew slightly younger and slightly more affluent.

 
 

influence on health-related behaviors

 

EATING

neutral to slight negative influence

 

Automobiles can have a positive influence on eating habits to the extent that they can provide access to supermarkets and grocery stores and thus facilitate home cooking. In general, home-cooked meals have been shown to be healthier than meals eaten out or ordered from restaurants.(3-7) People who cook at home more frequently also tend to have diets that have higher compliance with dietary guidelines.(8) However, long commutes and time spent in vehicles can also reduce the time available for home cooking and facilitate more consumption of fast food.

In Building H’s consumer research, we found that individuals who reported a commute of 30 minutes or more per day also reported having fewer home-cooked meals. Only 30% of those who commute 30 minutes or longer per day reported eating six or more home-cooked dinners per week, compared to 40% of those who do not commute 30 minutes or longer.(9) 

People who drive more also eat fast food meals more frequently. Twenty-eight (28) percent of respondents who spend one hour or more per day in their cars reported eating fast food meals three (3) or more times per week, compared to 17% of those who do not spend one hour or more per day in their vehicle. Those who reported commuting 30 minutes or longer were four (4) times more likely (49%) to report eating fast food three (3) or more times per week than people with shorter commutes (11%).(10) Note that researchers have found 70% of meals served at fast food restaurants to be of poor nutritional quality.(11) 

Similarly, 75% of 30+ minute commuters reported picking up fast food at the drive-thru once per week or more, as compared to 34% of those with less than a 30-minute commute.(12)

Eighty-one (81) of respondents who spend one hour or more in their cars per day reported picking up fast food at the drive-thru one or more times per week, as compared with those who spend less time in their vehicles (45%).(13)

People with longer commutes also tend to have meals delivered more often. Forty-seven (47) percent of respondents who commute 30 minutes or longer reported having three (3) or more meals delivered per week, compared to 14% for those who do not have a 30-minute or longer commute.(14)

 

opportunities:

  • Prioritize healthier food options (e.g. restaurants with healthier menus, grocery stores and supermarkets) within navigation systems.
 
 

PHYSICAL ACTVITY

slight negative influence

 

At a basic level, automobiles replace some trips that would normally be done by an active mode, such as walking or bicycling, with a sedentary mode of transport. Fifty-six (56) percent of automobile owners (not specific to Honda) use their vehicle or ride-sharing service instead of other potentially more active forms of transportation for short trips of one-half mile to one mile, compared to only 17% of non-automobile owners. Fifty-seven (57) percent of respondents who spend one or more hours in their vehicle per day use their vehicle or ride-sharing service for these short trips, as do sixty-one (61) percent of those who own more than one vehicle.(15)

Building H’s research did not show that automobile ownership or time spent in automobiles had a negative correlation with the overall amount of physical activity. Of the respondents who spend an hour or more in their vehicles each day, 35% reported getting the recommended two-and-a-half hours or more of moderate to vigorous physical activity per week – as compared to 28% for the general population.(16) Those who use their automobiles for short trips (i.e. one-half mile to one mile) were less likely (23%) to get the recommended two and a half hours per week.(17)

Honda is pursuing the development of automated driving technology, which could result in more time spent in vehicles. In March 2021, Honda became the first automaker to sell a vehicle equipped with level 3 self-driving technology. The "Traffic Jam Pilot" system by Honda enables drivers to engage in activities like watching movies and functioning on highways at speeds between 30 km/h and 50 km/h.(18) 

Research analyzing both partially automated vehicles and the impact of future driverless vehicles has found that both types of automated vehicles are likely to encourage significantly more driving. 

One study explored shifts in travel patterns among owners of partially automated electric vehicles, focusing on those equipped with systems like Tesla Autopilot. Analyzing survey responses from 940 users, the research found that Autopilot users utilize automation more frequently, with drivers using Autopilot driving an average of nearly 5,000 miles more per year than those who didn't use automation.(19) In a separate study, households provided with a chauffeur service (as a simulation of owning an autonomous vehicle) increased their vehicle miles traveled by 60%.(20)

 

opportunities:

  • Diversify product line beyond automobiles and motorcycles to embrace more active forms of mobility (e.g. bicycles, e-bikes, scooters) for trips of shorter distances.
  • When rolling out autonomous vehicles using pricing and service strategies to:
    • encourage use of on-demand services vs. private ownership
    • discourage use of AVs for short trips where alternative transport modes are viable
 
 

Sleeping

neutral to slight negative influence

 

In Building H’s consumer research, we saw an association between overall time spent in automobiles and shorter sleep duration. Thirty-nine (39) percent of respondents who spend one hour or more per day in their cars reported getting six or fewer hours of sleep per night compared to 33% of people who drive less.(21)

In addition, our research found that people who use their personal automobile for short trips (between one-half mile to one mile) were more likely (42%) to report getting six (6) or fewer hours of sleep per night compared to those who do not use their cars for shorter trips (34%).(22)

 
 

Engaging Socially

slight to moderate positive influence

 

Automobiles can help facilitate visits with friends, getting out of the house, and attending events, which could boost levels of social engagement, but doing so also requires the typically solitary activity of physically driving the automobile, which limits exposure to other people during that time. In Building H’s consumer research, 55% of automobile owners reported always commuting alone, versus only 16% who reported always commuting with at least one other person.(23)

In our research, we found a slight association between commute time and loneliness: 50 percent of respondents who commute 30 minutes or more per day reported feeling lonely, compared to 45% of respondents who have a shorter commute.(24) 

We asked automobile owners how using their vehicles had influenced their relationships and social interactions in 13 different ways, including, for example, “meet new people,” “give emotional support to others,” and “feel less excluded.”(25) People whose primary vehicle is a Honda reported that their vehicle had a slightly positive influence: on a scale of +3 to -3, the average score was 0.61 across all 13 questions. Honda drivers rated their vehicle’s influence highest  on "maintain my relationships" (1.07) and "interact w/ people I know" (1.03) and lowest on "create a sense of group belonging" (0.24) and "interact with people who are different from me" (0.33).(26)

Honda does sell a minivan, the Honda Odyssey. Minivans, renowned for their spacious interiors and accommodating seating capacities, are purposefully designed to cater to the needs of larger groups, making them inherently more social than smaller vehicles.(27) The emphasis on ample passenger space and comfort fosters an environment conducive to shared experiences during travel. The Odyssey represents a relatively small (5%) share of Honda’s US sales.(28)

 

opportunities:

  • Use navigation systems to facilitate social visits, e.g. through using contact information to highlight nearby friends.
  • When rolling out autonomous vehicles, use their driving settings to model prosocial behavior.
 
 

Getting Outdoors

slight positive influence

 

Automobiles can influence time spent outdoors in three principal ways: 1) people can use their vehicles to drive to outdoor activities; 2) car trips can displace transport modes, such as walking and biking, that take place outdoors and 3) overall time spent in cars can, in theory, lessen the time available for outdoor activities.

In Building H’s consumer research, we found that 39% of automobile owners use their vehicles to drive to outdoor activities at least weekly, while 24% do so less than weekly but at least monthly and 37% do so less than once per month.(29)

We also found that people who use their personal automobile for short trips (one-half mile to one mile) reported spending less time outdoors: 47% spending one or more outdoor hours per day, compared to 59% of those who do not use automobiles for short trips.(30) 

Our research also found that people who spend more time in their vehicles also spent more time outdoors: 68% of respondents who spend one or more hours per day in their vehicle reported spending one or more hours outdoors per day, compared to 52% of people who spend less time in their cars. In addition, 69% of people who commute at least 30 minutes per day reported spending one or more hours per day outdoors, compared to 52% who do not commute as long.(31)

Owners of Honda vehicles were less likely (47%) to report spending one or more hours per day outdoors than the general population (56%).(32) 

Honda recently released their new electric scooter, the Motocompacto, priced at $995. With a maximum speed of 15 mph and a zero-emissions range of up to 12 miles, the Motocompacto scooter has a foldable design for easy storage and transport in a compact carrying case.(33) Along with its line of motorcycles, this new transportation option from Honda could contribute to buyers spending more time outdoors and taking fewer short trips in their vehicles.

 
 
 

Notes

 

  1. Henk Bekker. Car Sales Statistics 2022 USA: Honda Sales by Model. Best Selling Cars website January 5, 2023.

  2. Vanessa Rogers. Measuring the Product Environment: How Do Automobiles and Bicycles Influence Health Behaviors? Building H on Medium, April 30, 2024.

  3. Julia Wolfson and Sara Bleich. Is Cooking at Home Associated with Better Diet Quality or Weight-Loss Intention? Public Health Nutrition. Volume 18, Supplement 8 (June 2015), pp. 1397-1406.

  4. Junxiu Liu et al. Quality of Meals Consumed by US Adults at Full-Service and Fast-Food Restaurants, 2003–2016: Persistent Low Quality and Widening Disparities. The Journal of Nutrition. Volume 150, Issue 4 (April 2020), pp. 873–883.

  5. R. An. Fast-food and full-service restaurant consumption and daily energy and nutrient intakes in US adults. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Volume 70 (2016), pp. 97–103.

  6. Sharon Kirkpatrick et al. Fast-food menu offerings vary in dietary quality, but are consistently poor. Public Health Nutrition. Volume 17, Issue 4 (2014), pp. 924–31.

  7. Lisa Powell and Binh Nguyen. Fast-food and full-service restaurant consumption among children and adolescents: effect on energy, beverage, and nutrient intake. JAMA Pediatrics. Volume 167, Issue 1 (January 2013), pp. 14–20.

  8. Arpita Tiwari et al. Cooking at Home: A Strategy to Comply With U.S. Dietary Guidelines at No Extra Cost. American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Volume 52, Issue 5 (May 2017), pp. 616–24.

  9. Rogers (2024).

  10. Ibid.

  11. Liu et al. (2020).

  12. Rogers. (2024).

  13. Ibid.

  14. Ibid.

  15. Ibid.

  16. Ibid.

  17. Ibid.

  18. Reuters. Honda to develop advanced level 3 self-driving technology by 2029. (November 2022).

  19. Scott Hardman et al. A Quantitative Investigation into the Impact of Partially Automated Vehicles on Vehicle Miles Travelled in California. UC Office of the President: University of California Institute of Transportation Studies (2021).

  20. Mustapha Harb et al. Glimpse of the Future: Simulating Life with Personally Owned Autonomous Vehicles and Their Implications on Travel Behaviors. Transportation Research Record. Volume 2767, Issue 3 (2021).

  21. Rogers (2024).

  22. Ibid.

  23. Ibid.

  24. Ibid.

  25. Using an adaptation of the Retrospective Assessment for Connection Impact (RACI) scale developed by Matthew Smith.

  26. Rogers (2024).

  27. Jimmy Stamp. The Minivan Turns 30: The History of the Minivan. Smithsonian Magazine. March 2013.

  28. Bekker (2023).

  29. Rogers (2024).

  30. Ibid.

  31. Ibid.

  32. Ibid.

  33. Honda. Fun, Fresh and Foldable: Honda Motocompacto Now Available for Purchase. November 2023.