Friday, August 21, 2009

Why Honda Owes Much Of Its Success To The Civic And Good Timing

By Karl Davidson

Honda achieved international success in the automotive industry mostly because of the timely introduction of its exceptionally popular model, the Civic and its viewpoint towards conservation of resources. Prior to 1973, Honda was primarily known as one of the largest manufacturers of inexpensive and straightforward motorcycles. It had previously introduced automobiles in the local Japanese car market but the cars were too small for the American Markets tastes.

Middle income households were forced to rethink their spending habits and expenditures due to the prevalent energy crisis in the seventies. Cars in the States had previously been large and heavy bodied vehicles with high fuel consumption and had been anything but cost-effective. The Civic appeared to be a ray of hope for these families during these times of hardship. With its compact design, low fuel consumption, and capacity to seat four people the Civic turned out to be the ideal choice for a new car.

In addition to its compact design and fuel economy, the Civic was a fun car to travel both short and long distances. The Civic was initially launched as a front-wheel drive, two and three-door hatchback with a four-cylinder, water-cooled engine. As families eagerly traded off lesser space for less expenditure, the dominance of large cars in the United Stated was challenged. The Civics astronomical success prompted Honda to follow a more aggressive strategy and it began adding further variations and new to its existing portfolio of cars.

The Civics growing acceptance in the United States led to the introduction of a new four-door, five-speed wagon. With each passing year, new efficiencies and designs were added such as low emissions, larger engine compliant with the regulatory demands at that time. A sportier look was introduced and its styling was constantly improved and refined. Car buyers were attracted by its groundbreaking and inimitable features and this helped profits rise progressively.

In a move to further strengthen its position across different segments of the car market, Honda soon introduced two higher end, trendy cars to draw a more profitable and upscale crowd. The Accord and Prelude helped to penetrate a yet untapped part of the automotive industry, while the Civic was perpetually improved and included upgraded features and trims that were not offered by other cars in the same class. Honda held steadfast to its ideology of resource preservation and its reputation remained largely unscathed at a time when awareness of the dangers of carbon emissions was becoming increasingly wide spread.

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. - 2368

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