The Civic and the attitude of conservation were vital in Honda’s international accomplishment as a major player in the auto industry. Prior to the North American introduction of its most well known model, the Civic, in the early seventies, Honda was principally acknowledged as the foremost motorcycle manufacturer in the world. Its smaller sized cars had previously been launched in Japan and later in the United States but failed in creating a name for Honda in the international car market.

The mounting fuel costs of the seventies and rising inflation forced middle-income American families, several of whom owned more than one car, to search for ways to lower their daily spending and costs. Americans had previously been used to massive, fuel guzzling cars, which now proved too expensive to maintain. The Civic appeared to be a timely lifeline for such families. With an interior large enough to comfortably seat four people, its compact shape and economical engines caused quite a buzz on its launch, gaining much attention from sellers and buyers alike.

Although the major factors of the Civics resounding success were its condensed size and fuel saving abilities success, consumers were attracted to its other features as well. Initially introduced as two variations, a front wheel drive, two and three door hatchback with a four-cylinder, water-cooled engine, the Civic proved to be exciting and enjoyable to drive within city centers and on the motorway. The Civics growing reputation convinced Honda to introduce more choices for the Civic and add entirely new models to its car line up.

Honda’s use of pioneering, new designs and improved performance enabled the Civic to retain its newly acquired status of a leading international compact car. The Civic was given a larger hood and front fender shape was changed to house a larger, low emission engine, which met environmental laws in effect at that time. A five-speed transmission, four-door wagon, was introduced to the existing line of models and with improved diversity car buyers all over the States started buying the new models.

The Civic was follow by the introduction of two new models, namely the Accord and Prelude. These trendy cars proved highly competitive in the more upscale segment of the automotive market and soon came to be widely accepted as well. Honda added extra trims and useful features to its Civic model at a time when other cars in the same class were offering far less. Honda’s environmentally friendly outlook proved to be a useful ally during a time when green activists were just beginning to educate consumers about the harm caused by greenhouse gases to the Earths ecosystem.

Honda’s plan to launch a fuel-efficient car in an era of growing costs proved productive. With improvement after improvement, the Civics brilliantly designed interior and exterior, reliability, fuel economy and minimum running expenses have been a tremendous success with car buyers the world over. It has gained the status of one of the most well recognized and liked cars in its class and as many drivers will testify, once you purchase a Honda Civic there’s no other car that can satisfy you.