The Honda Japanese automaker logo with white text on a red background
Honda logo | David Davies/PA Images via Getty Images

Honda is a Japanese automotive manufacturing division of the Honda Motor Company, which also owns the Acura luxury brand and does a great deal of business with motorcycle models.

Soichiro Honda founded Tōkai Seiki (the Eastern Sea Precision Machine Company) in 1937 to manufacture piston rings. After many initial failures, the company acquired a contract with Toyota. After World War II, Honda began motorized bicycle production in 1946, which led to the first Honda A-Type model. With fantastic success in the market, Honda became the largest motorcycle manufacturer by 1964.

The first automobile from Honda was the T360 mini pickup truck in 1963, later followed by the S500 (a predecessor to the S2000) sports car. As the company expanded to overseas markets, Honda launched the Acura brand in 1986 and created the famous NSX supercar in 1991. After a period of financial turmoil in the 1990s due to a sole focus on cars (almost being taken over by the growth of Mitsubishi), Honda changed course and began creating SUVs and minivans, such as the CR-V and Odyssey, which still exist as profitable nameplates today.

Featured Vehicle: Accord

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All Honda Vehicles:

Cars:

Civic: A compact sedan, also sold in hatchback, coupe, sporty (Civic Si), and performance (Civic Type R) variants

Insight: A hybrid compact sedan, available as a hatchback in previous generations

Clarity: A lineup of experimental alternative fuel vehicles, including electric, hydrogen fuel cell, and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) models

Accord: A midsize sedan, also previously sold as a hatchback, coupe, or wagon, and available as a hybrid model

SUVs and Minivans:

HR-V: A subcompact SUV, also sold as the Vezel

CR-V: A compact SUV, also sold as a hybrid model

Passport: A midsize adventure off-road SUV that was originally a rebadged Isuzu Rodeo

Pilot: A three-row full-size SUV that replaced the original Passport

Odyssey: A minivan meant for city and carpool transport

Trucks:

Ridgeline: A unibody build midsize pickup truck 


Recently Discontinued Vehicles

Crosstour: A midsize liftback that was replaced by the Passport

CR-Z: A hybrid compact sports car coupe that replaced and then was replaced by the Insight

Element: A boxy compact SUV with a configurable interior that was replaced by the HR-V

Fit: A subcompact hatchback also sold as the Jazz that was replaced by the City

Prelude: A compact sports car coupe that was replaced by the Integra

S2000: A convertible sports car/roadster


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