The S360 was unveiled on 5 June 1962 during the 11th Nation Honda Meeting General Assembly held at Suzuka Circuit, but was never put into production.

In May 1955, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry announced a promotional program called the "People's Car."

It immediately established the engineering target for manufacturers producing passenger cars of the coming era.

Eventually several mini passenger models debuted in answer to MITI's proposal, including Suzuki's Suzulight in October 1955 and the Subaru 360 in March 1958.

Honda hired nearly 50 engineers between 1957 and 1958 and created a new research facility all in preparation for car development.