In October 1973, two talented and spirited young engineers had a vision; to design and build high performance engines and components that major OE manufacturers could not or would not produce.
Led by Hiroyuki Hasegawa, a former engineer for Yamaha Motor Company, and his partner Mr.Kitagawa, the two secured a capital infusion from Sigma Automotive Co., Ltd. (hence the name “HKS ”), and began tuning gasoline powered engines in a dairy-farming shed at the foot of Mount Fuji in Japan.
A year later, Mr. Hasegawa designed and built the first aftermarket turbocharger for passenger cars and has never looked back.
HKS pioneered the Japanese aftermarket performance industry by delivering a host of exciting new products, including the first commercially available electronic turbo timer and boost controller. Other early products included piggy-back fuel computers and sophisticated fuel management tools. Clearly HKS was Driving Performance trends for Japanese vehicles.
Since its beginning, HKS has been committed to providing well-integrated, reliable,and environmentally sound performance systems. Mr.Hasegawa ’s strong leadership, engineering genius, creativity and willingness to listen to customers are the pillars of the company ’s success. Monitoring consumer reaction and input on issues pertaining to material quality, external appearance, sound quality, and of course, performance, HKS stays in tune with automotive enthusiasts’ needs. Moreover, HKS’ products are designed to be user friendly for easy installation.
Today the automotive aftermarket industry is filled with start-up companies following in HKS’ footsteps. None however, can match the depth of engineering or manufacturing resources available to the talented, highly motivated and dedicated employees of HKS.
For over a quarter century HKS products have been put to the test in drag racing, road racing, rallying, and top speed trials. HKS equipped vehicles have captured numerous racing championships and hold claim to a myriad of competition records using many “off the shelf”, race proven HKS components. As a result, HKS has been synonymous with “performance” in the automotive aftermarket industry for the past 35+years.
By establishing HKS USA, Inc. in 1982, HKS reaffirmed its commitment to deliver performance, customer service and quality products to consumers in North America. With the recent purchase of a new 35,000+ sq. ft. headquarters building for North American sales, marketing, warehouse, R&D, and manufacturing operations, HKS has solidified its leadership position and is poised for the future.
With our brand new, 100,000 sq. ft. ,state-of-the-art manufacturing and R&D facility at the foot of Mount Fuji, HKS is certain to stay in the lead of tomorrow ’s technology and manufacturing race. HKS has also established HKS Europe to expand our racing engine development and production program and continue our “race on Sunday, sell on Sunday” philosophy. Many of the competitors running in today ’s Formula 3 series are racing and winning with HKS prepared engines.
HKS has matured into a publicly traded company with an international sales and distribution network spanning Asia, Europe, Australia and the Americas to support its rapidly growing and ever-loyal worldwide customer base. The reason is simple: Whether it is engine, suspension, or drive-train systems, there is NO substitute for the performance, quality and reliability of HKS.
