Part Timing, Part Civic and Honda’s Global Conquest By Jimmy Carnes At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

Honda attained worldwide success in the car industry largely due to the timely introduction of its exceedingly popular model, the Civic and its philosophy of conservation. Before 1973, Honda was mainly recognized as a one of the largest manufacturers of economical and simple motorcycles, even though it had joined Formula One Racing in the 1960s and had won several prizes. It had also previously introduced automobiles in the local Japanese car market but the cars were too small for success in the American Market.

North Americans were used to sturdy and hulky cars, which were well known for their high fuel consumption. The global energy shortage of the seventies forced Americans to rethink their expenditures and save whatever they could in terms of regular costs. Honda had focused on creating compact, low fuel consumption cars and it was these qualities that made the Civic a perfect match for growing demand for economical cars. The Civic could easily fit four people and offered tremendous savings in running costs.

Although the main factors in the Civic’s success were its shape and fuel economy, the Civic proved to be a fun car with reasonable speeds on the highway. These groundbreaking compact cars impressed their drivers with great handling and low maintenance costs. The first Civics were front-wheel drives, had four-cylinder, water cooled engines and were available as two and three door hatchbacks. Despite the smaller size, the Americans found it a preferable trade off when weighed with the high costs of petrol. Its quick rise to fame prompted Honda to forge ahead and introduce further variations in the market.

Models with several improvements in design and performance were introduced in the following years. The hood of the car was changed to accommodate a new, larger engine with lower emissions and the Civic was now also available as a four-door wagon with a five-speed transmission, in addition to the usual three-door hatchback version. Consumers now had a wider range of variations to choose from and sales soared.

Honda soon added newer models like the Accord and Prelude to its existing portfolio of cars. These models catered to a more upscale market, a segment that would soon prove to be profitable and enhance Honda’s already growing reputation as a quality manufacturer of automobiles. It chose designs that were considerably different to American cars and provided extra features and trims that no other car manufacturer was doing at that time. It had managed to stay true to its environmentally friendly ideology and improved fuel efficiency with each of its models.

Due to its creativeness and aptly timed introduction to the North American car market, the Civic managed to create a name for itself and has won numerous awards for the best car in its category. Honda’s innovative interior and exterior styling, superb reliability, fuel economy and high quality manufacturing at affordable prices has helped sustain its leading position in the global auto industry. If its past achievements can be used to predict the future, the Civic is here to succeed for decades to come.

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