Yesterday, Honda celebrated its 50th year of operating in the United States, Auto Remarketing E-News  reports. It commemorated the golden anniversary by reflecting on a few of its milestones over these last 50 years.

Beginning with the 1960s, Honda officials discussed how the company made its way into the motorcycle market in the U.S.  “By leading American consumers to reconsider the motorcycle’s place in society, Honda almost single-handedly changed the image of two-wheeled transportation from something for motorcycle gangs to a form of transportation appropriate for everyone,” they noted.

As you look at the 1970’s, they marked the advent of the Honda Civic, which aimed to deliver higher fuel efficiency and meet new clean-air requirements.  “With the front-wheel-drive Civic, equipped with a cleaner, more fuel efficient and transverse-mounted engine, Honda demonstrated to the industry that it was possible to meet new requirements for cleaner air while offering customers a fun-to-drive car with higher fuel economy,” the company shared.

During the 1980’s, Honda introduced the Accord, which went on to become the first import nameplate to be the best-selling car in the U.S., according to Honda officials. “The Accord became the industry benchmark spawning a new generation of midsize cars and by building Accord in America, Honda demonstrated that it was possible to build high quality automobiles in the U.S,” they remarked.

By the time the 1990s rolled in, stricter emissions requirements were on the horizon, something on which Honda said it put a strong emphasis. “Meeting challenging new requirements for low emission vehicles years ahead of schedule at a time when other automakers said it was too difficult, Honda demonstrated that it was possible to meet the LEV, ULEV, and SULEV requirements while also meeting the needs of customers,” the company spokesperson pointed out.  In addition, they went on to say “As a result of these advances in clean emissions technology, the industry can now focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions to address global climate change,”

Moving on, such environmental and fuel-efficiency issues have been brought to the forefront of the auto industry in the 2000s. Honda focused on ecological responsibility and innovation.  “By simultaneously advancing both advanced environmental and safety technologies and making them affordable for customers, Honda is leading the way in creating environmentally responsible mobility for a new generation,” officials commented.  They went on to say,  “This has included introducing America’s first gas-electric hybrid vehicle and the first fuel-cell vehicles leased to individual customers, while offering safety technology as standard equipment in all of its vehicles”