The Honda Civic Is Celebrating Its 50th Anniversary This Year

It’s not just the BMW M division that is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year but the iconic Honda Civic is too.

It was way back in 1972 when the Honda Civic hit the market and not only was it one of the carmaker’s first models offered in Europe but it was also the first vehicle to comply with the 1970 Clean Air Act. More than 1 million units were produced in the first 4 years of the car’s life and it wasn’t until 1979 that the second-generation Civic premiered.

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Honda outfitted the second-gen Civic with a 1.3-liter four-cylinder before expanding the line-up with a larger 1.5-liter and both hatchback and wagon variants. A five-speed manual was also added to the range. Interestingly, the second-generation Civic only stuck around until 1983 when it was replaced with the larger third-generation model that introduced the company’s ‘Man-Maximum-Machine Minimum’ principle, a human-centric approach to design that continues to define all new Honda models.

Fast forward another 4 years and it was the time of the fourth-generation Civic. It introduced the carmaker’s Variable Valve Control and Left Electronic Control systems (VTEC) and was soon followed by the fifth-gen in 1991 and then the sixth-gen. The latter was particularly important as it introduced a CVT and spawned the first Type R variant.

Honda brought in the 2000s with the seventh-generation model, complete with hybrid technology for the first time. The particularly striking eighth-generation Civic then debuted in 2005 with pronounced triangular design elements that continue to trigger debate. The ninth- and tenth-generation models debuted in the years that followed with the latter spawning the FK8 Civic Type R, perhaps the finest Honda ever adorned with the Type R badge.

Now, the Civic is in its 11th-generation and in just a matter of days, the world will be presented with the all-new Civic Type R, the perfect way to celebrate 50 years of the Civic.

“Ever since the first generation, that launched to such great acclaim, the Honda Civic has been an iconic model for European customers,” Honda Motor Europe vice president Tom Gardner noted in a statement. “The 11th generation encapsulates the core characteristics of functionality, usability and comfort from the very first generation Civic. It has been engineered to ensure that its powertrain, steering and suspension deliver the engaging levels of performance, dynamic response and feedback that have always been central to the Civic’s appeal.”