The first generation Honda Civic with a wheelbase of 220 cm arrived in July, 1972 as a shortbacked 2-door, accompanied in November, 1972 by a 3-door Hatchback. A 4-door came in December, 1973 with a wheelbase of 228 cm; it lasted until September, 1977 that the 5-door Hatchback was introduced. By November, 1974 a 5-door Wagon was released on the same 228 cm wheelbase, however with a rigid rear axle and leaf springs instead of the independent coil suspension.

The second generation Civic in the same style as the first rode on a wheelbase of 225 and 232 cm respectively for the 3-door and 5-door Hatchbacks and was introduced in July, 1979. In October, 1979 came the 5-door Wagon, which was now available with the independent rear coil suspension, as well as the rigid axle with leafs. In September, 1980 a 4-door Notchback arrived. In the meantime, in August, 1980 the Honda Ballade was released with a different body, also a 4-door Sedan, and built as Triumph Acclaim in England. A derivative of the Civic was the Honda Quint (Export: Quintet) 5-door Hatchback with a wheelbase of 236 cm.

The third generation Civic, introduced in September, 1983 consisted of 4 body styles, with only the 3-door Hatchback and the 4-door Sedan having interchangeable panels. The 3-door Hatchback now rode on a 238 cm wheelbase; the 4-door Sedan, also called Honda Ballade, and built in England as Rover 213/216 (June, 1984) rode on a 245 cm wheelbase. The Wagon was now called Shuttle and used the same 245 cm wheelbase. The Civic CR-X, called Ballade Sports in Japan was a 3-door Coupe, riding on a 220 cm wheelbase and was already introduced in June, 1983. All cars had a new front and rear suspension, torsion bars instead of coils in front, and a torsion beam axle with coil springs at the rear. By November, 1984 a 4-wheel-drive version arrived for the Shuttle with a live rear axle, by September, 1986 the system became permanent. A derivative was the Quint Integra, which arrived as a 3-door Hatchback on a 245 cm wheelbase in February, 1985. In November, 1985 came the 5-door Hatchback on a 252 cm wheelbase, and in October, 1986, in Japan a 4-door Sedan on the same 252 cm wheelbase. The cars were called Honda Integra in the export, and Acura Integra in the USA and Canada.

The fourth generation arrived in September, 1987 with the same body layout as the previous generation, the wheelbase was now 250 cm integrally, except for the 3-door Coupe, now called Honda CR-X on a 230 cm wheelbase. The suspension was now double wishbones, coils, front and rear, also for the 4WD. A derivative was the Concerto 4-door Sedan and 5-door Hatchback, which arrived in June, 1988 and rode on a 255 cm wheelbase. The 5-door Hatchback was built in England as Rover 200 from October, 1989, the 4-door Sedan as Rover 400, from March, 1990. Rover developed a 200 3-door Hatchback (September, 1990), a 2-door Convertible (March, 1992), a 2-door Coupe (October, 1992) and a 5-door Wagon (March, 1994). The new Honda Integra arrived in April, 1989 as 3-door Coupe as well as a 4-door Pillared Hardtop on a 255 and 260 cm wheelbase respectively.

The fifth generation Civic was released in September, 1991, the 3-door now on a 257 cm wheelbase, the 4-door (called Civic Ferio in Japan) on a 262 cm wheelbase, the CR-X (called del Sol in the USA), now a 2-door Targa-Top on a 237 cm wheelbase. The previous generation Shuttle remained available. A 2-door Coupe (257 cm wheelbase), developed in the USA, arrived for the 1993 model year. By November, 1992 the Honda Domani 4-door Sedan arrived with different body, also sold as Isuzu Gemini from August, 1993. This car was built in England as Rover 400 with different roof end from May, 1995, where a 5-door Hatchback was developed, which was also sold as Honda Civic in Europe. These cars were rebadged Rover 45 by January, 2000 when they received a nostalgic front. By Spring 1998 arrived a 5-door Wagon, as Honda Civic Aerodeck in Europe. The new Integra 3-door Coupe and 4-door Pillared Hardtop arrived in May, 1993 and rode on a 257 cm and 262 cm wheelbase respectively.

The sixth generation Civic appeared in September, 1995 as a 3-door Hatchback, a 4-door Sedan, and a 2-door Coupe, now all riding on the 262 cm wheelbase. The 4-door was still called Civic Ferio in Japan, by February, 1996 it came as Honda Integra SJ, by January, 1997 as Honda Domani, and by February, 1997 as Isuzu Gemini. A 5-door Wagon came in February 1996, called Honda Orthia, or in a more commercial version, as Honda Partner. In Canada the 4-door Sedan is also sold as Acura EL. In Thailand the car is known as Isuzu Vertex.

Company founder Soichiro Honda, after working at Art Shokai, developed his own design for piston rings in 1938. He attempted to sell them to Toyota and after two years of work he won a contract with them.[2] He constructed a new facility to supply Toyota, but soon after, during World War II, the Honda piston manufacturing facilities were almost completely destroyed.

Soichiro Honda created a new company with what he had left. The Japanese market was crippled by World War II; his country was starved of money and fuel, but was still in need of basic transportation. Honda, utilizing his manufacturing facilities, attached an engine to a bicycle which created a cheap and efficient method of transport. He gave his company the name Honda Giken K%u014Dgy%u014D Kabushiki Kaisha which translates to Honda Research Institute Company Ltd. Despite its grandiose name, the first facility bearing that name was a simple wooden shack where Mr. Honda and his associates would fit the engines to bicycles. The official Japanese name for Honda Motor Company Ltd. remains the same in honor of Soichiro Honda's efforts. On 24 September 1948 the Honda Motor Co. was officially founded in Japan.

Honda began to produce a range of scooters and motorcycles and Soichiro Honda quickly recovered from the losses incurred during the war. Honda's first motorcycle to be put on sale was the 1947 A-Type (one year before the company was officially founded). However, Honda's first full-fledged motorcycle on the market was the 1949 Dream D-Type. It was equipped with a 98cc engine producing around 3 horsepower (2.2 kW). This was followed by other highly popular scooters throughout the 1950s.
Honda Super Cub C50
Honda Super Cub C50

In 1958, the American Honda Company was founded and one year later, Honda introduced its first model in the United States, the 1959 Honda C100 Super Cub. The Honda Cub holds the title of being the best-selling vehicle in history, with around 50 million units sold around the world.[3]

Honda began developing prototypes for road cars in the early 1960s, mostly intended for the Japanese market. The first production vehicle by Honda was the 1963 T360, a tiny pickup truck featuring 4 different body styles (including a traditional truck bed and a panel van) and a 360-cc, 30 hp (22 kW) engine. This was followed two months later by Honda's first production automobile, the S500. The S500 was a 2 door roadster featuring a 492 cc engine capable of 44 hp (33 kW) with a high 9,500 RPM redline. It was fitted to a 4-speed transmission with the rear wheels being chain driven. Mr. Honda took his extensive knowledge of motorcycles and applied it to making his car, of which the chain drive and high redline are evidence.

At the time, nearly all of the Japanese automakers were associated with the former zaibatsu, or keiretsu - Japanese business conglomerates. These large companies had close ties with the government who urged them to absorb smaller carmakers into large brands that could be marketed internationally. Since the government had extensive control over the industry, it was unheard of for a small, independent company to mass produce vehicles, thus making Honda's success historic in the Japanese economy.

Though participating in international motorsport (see Racing), Honda was having difficulty selling its automobiles in the United States. Built for Japanese buyers, Honda's small cars had failed to gain the interest of American buyers. Honda's first automobile imported to the United States was the N600, sold in Hawaii in 1969. In 1970, the car was imported to California and beyond, but its tiny 600 cc engine and minuscule dimensions made it very unpopular with the American public.
Honda Civic
Honda Civic

Honda finally established a foothold in the American market in 1972 with the introduction of the Civic - larger than their previous models, but still small compared to the typical American car-just as the 1973 energy crisis was impacting worldwide economies. New emissions laws in the US requiring American car makers to add expensive smog pumps and catalytic converters to engines increased car prices. However, Honda introduced an innovative variation on the stratified charge engine, the CVCC (Compound Vortex-Controlled Combustion) in the 1975 Civic, this allowed the Civic to meet emission standards without a smog pump or a catalytic converter. Due to its more complete combustion it also obtained the lowest fuel consumption rating of any vehicle available on the American market for four years during its production.[4] American companies were slow to begin producing small, fuel efficient cars, which gave the Honda Civic a chance to sell well, as well as prove Honda's reputation for reliability and further expand its customer loyalty.
Honda Accord
Honda Accord

In 1976, the new, larger-than-the-Civic Accord was immediately popular because of its value, economy, and fun-to-drive nature. The Accord has since consistently been one of the best selling cars in the United States, and evolved into a large mid-size for the North American market with V6 and coupe versions.

Honda began building motorcycles in Marysville, Ohio in 1978 and then in 1982, Honda was the third foreign auto manufacturer, after Volkswagen and Rolls-Royce to build car plants in the US. The first car made in the US was the Accord. They now have five plants located in Ohio: two in Marysville (the Marysville Auto Plant and the Marysville Motorcycle Plant), one in East Liberty, Ohio, a Honda Transmission plant in Russells Point, Ohio and an engine plant in Anna, Ohio. They also have plants in Lincoln, Alabama (Honda Manufacturing of Alabama) and Timmonsville, South Carolina and have recently (2006) opened a new plant in Tallapoosa, Georgia. Honda also has an extensive aftermarket parts operation located in Marysville, Ohio, and a research and development facility in Raymond, Ohio. Honda's North American and U.S. headquarters are located in Torrance, California. Honda's Canadian and many US-market Civics have been manufactured in their plant in Alliston, Ontario since 1986. On 27 June, 2006, Honda announced that another vehicle assembly facility will be opening in North America, this time in Greensburg, Indiana. Its completion is expected in 2008.

Honda was the first Japanese automaker to introduce a separate luxury line of vehicles. Created in 1986 and known as Acura, the line is made up of modified versions of Honda vehicles usually with more power and sportiness than their Honda counterparts. The very first model was the Acura Legend, with a 2.5 liter engine producing 151 horsepower (113 kW). European luxury-car manufacturers initially scoffed at the thought of a luxury company from Japan, with criticism coming mostly from Mercedes-Benz.

1987 was an important year for new safety and technology at Honda. The 1987 Honda Prelude was the first passenger vehicle in the world equipped with four-wheel steering (4WS) technology. This also marked the year for the first Japanese car equipped with an SRS airbag, the Honda (Acura) Legend.

In 1989 Honda launched their VTEC variable valve timing system in its production car engines, which gave improved efficiency and performance across a broader range of engine speeds. One of the first of its kind in passenger vehicles. It operates on the premise of using different camshaft profiles (including duration, enganging a third rocker arm) depending on a number of sensors: throttle position, water/oil temperature, RPM. Low-load driving would result in VTEC not being engaged, the camshaft using an efficient-for-low-speed profile. When all sensors permit, the ECU engages the third lobe is engaged, using a different rocker arm, effectively changing the camshaft profile for an efficient-for-high-rpm profile.

In 1999 Honda began selling the Insight which was the first hybrid vehicle on the market. Power is derived from a combination of a 1.0L 3-cylinder gasoline engine, and a large NiMH battery pack providing power-assist during acceleration. This computer-controlled combination provided acceptable performance with exceptionally low fuel consumption and emissions. Honda's hybrid power train is now an available option for the Civic and Accord.

For the 2007 model year, Honda plans to improve the safety of its vehicles by providing front-seat mounted side airbags, side-curtain airbags, and anti-lock brakes as standard equipment in all automobiles available in North America (except the Insight and S2000, which will not have side-curtain airbags). By 2008, Honda plans to have standard traction with vehicle stability control with rollover sensors in all light trucks, which include the CR-V, Odyssey, Pilot, and Acura MDX. Honda also plans to make its vehicles safer for pedestrians, with more safely-designed hoods, hinges, frame constructs, and breakaway wiper pivots.

In 2007, Honda stated it is going to launch low-priced hybrids and advanced diesel technology in the near future, they were also voted the number one car manufaturer in the world for the third period.