CarGene

Honda · Civic

Honda Civic 1st generation

Years
1972–1979
Drivetrain
FF
Honda Civic 1st generation

Image: Rutger van der Maar / CC BY 2.0

Story

It was developed with everything at stake, as withdrawal from the car business was becoming a real possibility. Carrying CVCC, it became the world's first car to clear the US Muskie Act standards.

Stories

01

Small cars seen in Europe

Kizawa went to Europe and studied European cars with Yoshio Nakamura and others, which went on to influence development of the first Civic. After returning to Japan, he took over from Tadashi Kume as development lead of code name 634, which became the first Civic. The Civic became a worldwide hit, and Honda secured its footing in the car business.
Hiroshi Kizawa

Chassis

Front

Strut

Rear

Strut

Length 3,405-3,695 mmWB 2,200-2,280 mm1,325 mmHeightWidth 1,505 mm
Curb weight
600-755kg

Production plants

  1. Suzuka Factory

    Suzuka, Mie

US import eligibility

Earliest cars
Eligible since July 199725 years after sales began in July 1972
Last cars
Eligible since 200425 years after sales ended in 1979 (month not recorded)

Eligibility depends on each car's month of manufacture on its build plate, not on the sale dates shown here (NHTSA).

Japanese cars by US import year →

Engineers

Hiroshi Kizawa

Hiroshi Kizawa

Hometown: Okayama Prefecture

Development leader of the first-generation Civic and the first-generation Prelude. Former senior managing director of Honda R&D.

Shinya Iwakura

Shinya Iwakura

Hometown: Wakayama City, Wakayama Prefecture

A car designer who designed many Honda cars at Honda Motor Co. His representative works include the first- and second-generation Prelude, the first- and third-generation Civic, the first-generation CR-X and the first-generation Odyssey. He served as a managing director (in charge of products) of the company.