Honda celebrates 50 years of the Civic
Fifty years ago, Honda held the global introduction of its three-door hatchback – the Honda Civic. A half century later, with sales approaching 30 million globally and now in its 11th generation, Civic is the longest-running automotive nameplate in Honda history and the best-selling Honda automobile of all-time.
“Since going on sale in America in early 1973, Civic’s 11 generations have consistently set the benchmark for the U.S. auto industry by delivering class-leading quality and reliability, outstanding fuel efficiency and low emissions, refined and responsive driving dynamics and top-class safety performance,” Honda said in a release commemorating the anniversary. “This has earned the trust of American car buyers and a reputation as a segment-defining product. With U.S. sales of more than 12.3 million units, the vast majority produced in Honda’s North American auto plants, Civic is one of the top three best-selling cars in America over the past five decades.”
Some Civic highlights include:
- Civic is the longest-running automotive nameplate in Honda’s history, launched in Japan in 1972 and the U.S. in 1973
- Civic was the first vehicle to get the CVCC engine (1975), first engine to meet U.S. emission standard without the use of a catalytic converter
- Over its 11 generations Civic has been available in five body styles; 2-door coupe, 3-door hatchback, 4-door sedan, 5-door hatchback and wagon
- Civic is the No. 1 vehicle among Millennial buyers since 2011 and has captured the most Gen Z, first-time, and multicultural buyers in the industry for the past six years
- Today Civic is built in Honda plants in Greensburg, Indiana, Alliston, Ontario Canada and Japan.
Honda has big plans for the model. An all-new hybrid-electric powered Civic will be introduced in the future
Ford hands-free driving technology increasing in usage
Ford’s hands-free driving technology has been getting more and more road tested as more customers are trying out the software, the automaker said. Ford announced that BlueCruise* for F-150™, Mustang Mach-E™ and other Ford vehicle customers has accumulated 10.6 million miles of hands-free highway driving since the technology launched in July 2021.
Ford Power-Up software updates are bringing BlueCruise to even more customers who bought vehicles before the technology launched. Nearly 15,000 2021 F-150 and Mustang Mach-E customers already completed the BlueCruise software updates with another 35,000 in process. This adds to customers who bought vehicles with BlueCruise equipped at the factory, totaling about 66,500 customers enjoying hands-free highway driving, the company said.
“We are rapidly increasing the number of digital vehicles on the road with new services that create ‘always-on’ customer relationships with great software experiences,” said CEO Jim Farley. “BlueCruise is a great example as customers have driven more than 10 million miles hands-free in just one year since we launched the capability and delivered it with a Ford Power-Up software update.”
BlueCruise caps the first year of Ford Power-Up software updates. Ford is using anonymized data insights customers voluntarily share to make BlueCruise even better by refining visuals, sensing and steering for more natural performance. The pace of BlueCruise hands-free highway driving is accelerating as customers more than doubled mileage from last month alone – from 4.5 million miles to 10.6 million miles.
Chip shortage continues to hamper auto inventories
Buying a car isn’t what it used to be. In today’s car market, buying a car means placing an order and waiting, sometimes for months, for the vehicle to arrive, the Washington Post reported.
There’s also a new kind of sticker shock. The Post reported that the average U.S. list price for a new car has risen by 20% over the past two years, to $45,975, according to data provider Cox Automotive. The average for a used car has soared even more – by 40%, to $28,012.
One of the major disruptors to the auto industry has been the ongoing shortage of computer chips. In one example, the global shortage of computer chips and other parts forced General Motors to build 95,000 vehicles without certain components during the second quarter, the Associated Press reported. The Detroit automaker said in a regulatory filing that most of the incomplete vehicles were built in June, and that it expected most of them to be finished and sold to dealers before the end of the year.
“As you probably know, modern cars rely on a multitude of computer modules and electronic sensors for critical functions,” a Motor Trend article commented on the GM news. “It may seem ironic that a given Sierra truck or Corvette may be 99.9% completed but can’t leave the manufacturing plant because it’s missing a part that is smaller than the palm of your hand, but that is our current reality.”
Experts are predicting the inventory shortage will last through the year.