'THE WIRED 40'

Wired magazine's annual list of "masters of innovation, technology, and
strategic vision";
Its top 40 list comprises companies that "are reshaping the global
economy";
July 2003.

List of top 40 companies are listed at very bottom of this message.

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#27 Honda Motor Co., Ltd. --
Innovation hits the road

For most automakers, the glory days seem to have passed. But Honda's best years may lie ahead. Following the Civic Hybrid, the Japanese manufacturer introduced the first hydrogen fuel-cell car, the FCX, now shuttling city workers around Los Angeles. That's not the only forward-looking project on the company's workbench; there's also the Intelligent Community Vehicle System, which lets commuters share cars in downtown Singapore. And, don't underestimate the pathbreaking role of the motorcycle, which provides an efficient, low-margin entree in to new markets. Motorbikes gave Honda strong brand recognition in China before it introduced cars. This year, the company expects to double last year's sales and build its second plant in China.

Promise: Honda will use emerging technologies to leave competitors in the dust.

Challenge: The company's home market of Japan remains a drag on its overall growth.

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* Honda is the only automobile / motorcycle manufacturer on Wired's '40'
list.

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WIRED 40 --

Google
Nokia
Yahoo!
IBM
Cemex
eBay
Amazon.com
Microsoft
Vodafone
GlaxoSmithKline
Cisco System
FedEx
Wal-Mart
Intel
Dell Computer
Sony
Oracle
Netflix
Inditex
Affymetrix
L-3
Nvidia
Level 3
Taiwan Semiconductor
Millennium Pharmaceuticals
BP
Honda Motor Co.
Electronic Arts
USA Interactive
Ryanair
Citigroup
Monsanto
WPP Group
Infosys Technologies
Check Point Software
EMC
Charles Schwab
Comcast
Flextronics
JDS Uniphase