How Honda Changed the Automotive Industry: A History of Innovation and Design
For the last few decades, Honda has been a leader in the automobile industry when it comes to innovation and design. From its early days of manufacturing motorcycles to its recent commitment to a greener future, Honda is always focused on developing new technologies and designs to propel the company forward.
As the company has evolved, Honda has managed to stay ahead of the competition. From the 2000s onward to the present day, Honda models have innovative designs that help improve the vehicle's performance and fuel efficiency.
In recent years, there have been a few notable car designs from Honda. Makes and models of a certain class size are often similar to each other. However, Honda manages to consistently put out contemporary designs that we'll further explore.
The Early Years
The Honda brand has built a reputation for producing reliable and practical cars over the years. Though the company started decades ago, Honda vehicles continue to be a leader in the market to this day. How does Honda manage to achieve this success?
The company focuses on building cars with efficiency and practicality in mind. When the Civic first launched in the 70s, it quickly became globally recognized due to its combination of affordability, reliability, and efficiency. Honda has not lost these prized features and continues to enhance and revamp the Civic design years later.
All Honda designs aim to have this mix of reliability, value, and practicality that originally put Honda at the forefront of the automotive industry. From the early 2000s Insight to the relatively new Clarity model, Honda keeps putting out forward-looking designs.
2000s Onward
Though Honda has a long history of innovation, in recent years, the brand has stepped forward to reveal practical designs that fit with modern sensibilities. As the automotive industry has begun to move towards more sustainable practices, Honda has led the pack when it comes to eco-friendly designs.
The company has announced its commitment to reducing carbon emissions and has been developing cutting-edge technologies for all future Honda makes and models to make that happen. However, Honda has been using designs and technologies to improve fuel efficiency for years. From the early 2000s onward, Honda has developed a few notable car designs.
The Honda Insight
As one of the company's first ventures into green technology, the Insight model's design was modern for its time. When it was first introduced in the early 2000s, it was the most fuel-efficient vehicle in the US (out of non-plug-in, gasoline-powered vehicles). To achieve its high fuel economy ratings, Honda developed a highly efficient design and technology.
With a drag coefficient of .25, the Insight was–at the time–the most aerodynamic car on the market. Honda had put great care into the design of the car, using lightweight aluminum and plastic to ensure an overall lightweight model. The Insight was also a subcompact design, which further increased its fuel efficiency.
The vehicle utilized Honda's Integrated Motor Assist hybrid technology. This technology was new and allowed for better fuel efficiency due to regenerative braking that captured energy otherwise lost. After the first generation of Insight, Honda continues to perfect this technology for better performance and efficiency.
The Honda Clarity
The Honda Clarity encompasses a range of alternative fuel vehicles. From hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles to plug-in hybrids, the Honda Clarity offers innovative designs and technology to achieve a modern and fuel-efficient car.
The first model, the Clarity FCX, was introduced into the market in 2008. Its design was slightly smaller than the same year's Accord model. Its design also featured an emphasis on fuel-efficient technologies. For example, the dashboard display allowed the driver to monitor the car's efficiency, including tracking hydrogen consumption, motor output, and battery power levels.
The Honda Accord
The Accord model has been around for decades. However, throughout its many generations, Honda has placed an emphasis on enhancing the design to ensure great all-around performance, reliability, and high-efficiency levels. Since the 2000s, the Accord has generally had a sleek and sporty design, that makes it the perfect midsize sedan to zip around the city.
Some of the Honda Accord's design principles include a body that is low and wide, broad visibility, and comfortable seating positions. Additionally, even though space is limited in the midsize sedan class, the Accord offers a spacious cabin that can still comfortably fit rear-seat passengers.
The Honda Civic
For car shoppers looking for compact sedans, one of the best options is from Honda. Makes and models of this class size tend to perform similarly. However, Honda has managed to stay ahead of the competition by offering one of the most practical options on the market.
From the early 2000s to the present day, the Civic design has always offered a superior design that outperformed the competition. With the newest generation Civic, the design is even more simplified and modern, giving the best performance results to date. The design of the Civic aims to create a vehicle that is lightweight and airy.
Both the interior and exterior of the latest Civic have a clean and simple design to provide comfort, efficiency, and practicality. Inside the cabin, the uncluttered style allows for plenty of passenger space. Additionally, the exterior features allow for better aerodynamics, ensuring a smooth and efficient driving experience.
Due to Honda's innovative designs, the company continues to lead the automotive industry. Most of the Honda makes and models are some of the best in the industry when it comes to efficiency, cutting-edge technology, and simplified designs. For car shoppers looking for a modern car with a great design, choosing one of the models from the Honda lineup is a great choice. If you're interested in learning more about the latest Honda models, take a look at our selection of new inventory models.