Honda Car Parts

Honda began developing road car prototypes for the Japanese market in the early 1960s. . 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 360cc, 30hp engine. The second production vehicle and Honda's first production automobile, the S500 was rolled out a few months later. The S500 was a 2 door roadster featuring a 492cc engine capable of 44 hp with a high 9,500 RPM redline. It was fitted to a 4-speed transmission with the rear wheels being chain driven, an example of Honda using their expertise in motorcycles for automobiles.

Though participating in international motor sport racing, Honda was having difficulty selling its cars in the U.S. Built for the Japanese market, Honda's small cars had failed impress American buyers. Honda's first automobile imported to the United States was the N600, sold in Hawaii in 1969. In 1970, the N600 was imported to the mainland, but its tiny 600 cc engine and diminutive size made it very unpopular with American car buyers.

Honda finally established a foothold in the American market in 1972 with the introduction of the Civic. The Civic was larger than previous models, but still small compared to the typical American car.  The timing was fantastic as the 1973 energy crisis was impacting the United States economy  and new emissions laws requiring car makers to add expensive smog pumps and catalytic converters to engines increased car prices. 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.  It’s more complete combustion obtained the lowest fuel consumption rating of any vehicle available on the American market, perfect for the oil shock in the mid 1970’s.  American companies were slow to produce small, fuel efficient cars.  This gave the Honda Civic a chance to sell well, and establish Honda’s reputation for reliability and further expand its customer loyalty.

In 1976, the new Accord was introduced and was immediately popular because of its value, economy, and fun-to-drive nature. The Accord has since been one of the best selling cars in the United States.

In 1989, Honda launched their VTEC variable valve timing system in its production car engines.  This innovation gave improved fuel efficiency and better performance across a wider range of engine speeds.

In 1999, Honda began selling the Insight , the first hybrid vehicle on the market. Power was 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 good performance with extremely low fuel consumption and emissions. Honda's now produces hybrid  Civics and Accords.