Honda Marks Long History in America

Sep 28
10:56

2009

Joe Kent

Joe Kent

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Honda has reached a major milestone – having been in the United States for 50 years. Initially, Honda was known for motorcycles and scooters, not the robust lineup of cars that we have today. Eventually the appeal of Honda motorcycles caught on, and this popularity helped fuel interest in Honda in the late 1960s when Honda entered the auto market.

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The first Honda sold in America was the N600,Honda Marks Long History in America Articles a two-door car that’s about the size of the modern day Smart two-seater. The Honda N600 sold for $1,275 and was replaced in 1973 by the Civic hatchback. Although the boxy, tiny N600 wasn’t exactly a popular car, Connecticut used Honda dealers say timing is everything as the Civic arrived just as new emissions standards were put in place and sky-high gas prices were taking their toll on American drivers. The timing was perfect for Honda and the Civic and Honda Service Ofallon believe it helped the automaker gain solid footing in the North American auto market.

Fast forward to today and Honda still provides economical and efficient cars. Last year the automaker sold a total of 1.4 million cars and trucks in America, helping it claim about 11 percent market share according to one Hartford used Honda dealer. Despite its success in the auto industry, Honda has also remained a dominant brand in the motorcycle business.

While Honda has certainly faced plenty of setbacks, it has maintained its reputation for value, efficiency, and quality. While the automaker overtaken its main rival Toyota with the release of the first hybrid car sold in the U.S., it’s has since been playing catch-up to Toyota’s successful Prius. But with new offerings such as the Insight, not to mention hydrogen fuel cell cars currently in development, the automaker will no doubt see plenty of success in the America in another 50 years from now.

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